Candace Buckner

NEW YORK – While the Indiana Pacers have searched for winning combinations to gel and players to heal, they've also complied a list of reasons why they're still worthy of attention. In a season with too many blemishes on the win-loss record, at least the Pacers have provided some entertainment.

Saturday night inside the Barclays Center should stand as one of those moments.

The Pacers pounded the Brooklyn Nets with a complete 110-85 victory in which a player with one good eye led the team in scoring, for the fourth straight game the Pacers did not look like the same old offensively challenged Pacers and David West shoved an instigator who tried to channel Lance Stephenson and blow sweet nothings in his face.

Strangeness overflowed through this night in Brooklyn and the weirdest part: Indiana won a game by its largest margin of the season against a potential playoff team after looking flat and disinterested in defense the previous night versus one of the worst teams in the East.

"Slowly yet surely, hopefully we can string together so more wins," Roy Hibbert said after the Pacers moved to 11-20 on the season. "I just think we're getting more bodies back and we'll be better."

"I'm proud of those guys, proud of the team especially after a loss that we had last night."

After the 119-109 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, the Pacers rebounded for only their third win on the second night of back-to-back in nine attempts. Rodney Stuckey, who left the game in Detroit in the third quarter after getting accidentally hit in the face, still had blurry vision with his right eye reddened and swollen and yet he scored 20 points and shared the ball for eight of the team's 33 assists.

The ball movement and shot making, a revelation over the past week, continued in front of the sold-out Barclays and against the eighth-seeded Nets. The Pacers shot 51.2 percent, not only their season best but the performance continued a trend for the fourth straight game of the team making at least 50 percent from the floor. Unexpectedly, somehow the Pacers have turned into offensive clinicians.

"I'm really pleased with how we're moving the basketball," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "The work the guys are putting in with their shooting. We're making shots and we're playing for each other. We're playing unselfish and hopefully that continues."

Indiana sustained this offensive momentum even with their best bench scorer, C.J. Miles, out with what Vogel described as a "major" upper respiratory infection. Even wing, Damjan Rudež, missed the game with the same ailment so the Pacers were down to Chris Copeland, who had long dropped from the rotation. Yet, Copeland had as many dunks as he drained 3s (two a piece) and fit back in with the second unit of C.J. Watson (17 points), Luis Scola (13), Lavoy Allen (10) that outscored the Nets' bench 52-16.

The starters and reserves showed balance in separating in the third quarter, outscoring the Nets 29-18. Six players contributed on the 13 field goal makes. Also, Indiana forced eight turnovers that led to six fast break points for a team that rarely runs. The defense even held Brooklyn to just seven field goals, draining the life out of a crowd in which some courtside members resorted to razzing Hibbert as celebrated from the bench through the blowout fourth quarter.

"New York has a special place in my heart. I was born here, I wasn't raised here but they like to talk a little trash, that's what New Yorkers do. So I appreciate that. It was all harmless and fun," Hibbert said. "On my side, it was."

While Hibbert found his way to react to the derision, West decided to match foolishness with a hearty shove to the chest. In the first quarter, cameras caught Kevin Garnett blowing in West's face – and then promptly showed the Pacers veteran's reaction that drew a technical foul.

"Yeah, I didn't like that," West said. "I just know it was too close and I didn't like it. I don't really play them games. We're out there to play basketball so let's play basketball. Everybody was kinda looking at what made me push him or whatever, (I) told 'em, 'he blew in my face.'"

Then, recognizing the absurdity of the Lance-like moment, West began to smile.

"An aggressive blow at that," West described. "I think Lance's was more sensual. That was an aggressive one."

Then West turned aggressive in the second half by scoring 15 of his 17 points and performed as a steady playmaker from the high post and beyond during that decisive third quarter.

"I just thought we played with the right attitude, the right aggression," West said. "Defensively, I just thought we were active. We had a little bit more energy in that third quarter to give us some breathing room."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.