Don’t look now, but here come the Pacers.
That’s the way the Pacers probably feel after winning their third straight, an impressive 132-125 road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
And man, it was a team effort in the truest sense, starting with Caris LeVert, who erupted for 34 points.
It also took every bit of what the Pacers received from everyone else — including Malcolm Brogdon (29 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds), Domantas Sabonis (18 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists), Doug McDermott (13 points), Edmond Sumner (11 points), T.J. McConnell (10 points, 4 assists) and Goga Bitadze (7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks).
You don’t put together stat lines like that without moving the ball and keeping things moving overall. That has been the Pacers’ story lately, and for the first time in four months, they’ve won three in a row.
“We’re not giving the defense a chance to set up and pack the paint,” LeVert told the media.
Now, the Pacers (25-27) are right back in the playoff mix, sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference — and only 3.5 games behind Atlanta for the fourth seed.
“It’s poise offensively,” LeVert said when asked about the sudden success. “A lot of poise. I feel like once you get one game down, the confidence level goes up, and you feel like you’re supposed to win those games. I feel like that’s where we are right now as a team.”
Suddenly, all the X’s and O’s on coach Nate Bjorkgren‘s chalkboard are coming to life. At least, they have been lately.
“We’ve gotten some timely stops on the defensive end, but we’ve been more patient down there late,” Bjorkgren said. “And you hit some big shots. It’s on the guys. They’re doing a great job of sharing the ball.”
