Stuckey leads Pacers' bench charge past 76ers

PHILADELPHIA – Performances like the one Rodney Stuckey had on Friday night haven't come around often for the 2014-15 Indiana Pacers.

Just five games into the season, Donald Sloan, as a starter, scored 31 points, and even though he's since become the Ringo among the Pacers' point guards, no other teammate has matched his single-game high total. But inside Wells Fargo Arena, Stuckey came close.

Only an awkward fall could do what the Philadelphia 76ers couldn't as Stuckey energized the Pacers in their 106-95 win with a game-high 30 points.

In less than 27 minutes in the backup role, Stuckey made 10-of-16 from the floor – an exceptional shooting percentage carried by drives to the rim and fast break finishes. His teammates followed suit with 19 fast-break points, nearly doubling the season average. However, Stuckey did not finish the game after twisting his left ankle on a jump shot attempt with about 3½ minutes remaining in the blowout victory.

The team listed Stuckey as "day to day." Stuckey slowly ambled to his locker stall after the game, his left foot wrapped under copious amounts of ice, but reassured "I'll be good, man."

The Pacers should hope in Stuckey's self-diagnosis: Nights like his only adds more firewood to an offense that's beginning to cook on a consistent basis.

"That's what I'm trying to do, be aggressive," Stuckey said. "Whatever the defense gives me, just take it. If it's a jumper, shoot it. if it's a drive, take it. Just being aggressive, that's my game and that's when I'm at my best."

Here's one for the "No, Really" department. Through February, Indiana (22-33) has shot better than every team in the league. In the five games before the NBA All-Star break, the Pacers ranked first overall with a 48.6 field-goal percentage. Then on Friday, even after a week away from the court, they nearly matched that mark at 48.2 percent.

All of this happened even after the game flowed messily through the first quarter as the Pacers starters looked as if their accuracy had been sapped in the All-Star break. Philadelphia rookie center Nerlens Noel blocked five shots, tying the arena record for most in a quarter, and the Pacers missed eight straight field goals during a near 4-minute stretch and started the game 2-of-13 from the floor.

Then, this important development – Stuckey entered the game with 2:28 remaining in the first quarter, playing his second straight game as the designated spark plug of the second unit. By the second quarter, the team's shooting percentage leapt 10 points as the Pacers' bench created turnovers and cashed them into transition points. Stuckey simplified the game by scoring three consecutive driving layups and getting to the free-throw line for five attempts for 13 points.

Funny what the fast-break element can do for a team. In that quarter alone, the Pacers scored 12 points in transition – the team entered the game averaging only 9.3 per game – and blitzed the 76ers to open a 19-point lead.

On a night when the starters combined for 18-of-42 shooting from the floor for 42 percent, the bench unit produced a blistering hot .536 percentage. The reserve players rescued what began as a sluggish game, and Stuckey led that cavalry. In the third quarter, Stuckey went on a personal 10-0 run and even completed what he believed to be the first four-point play of his career. By that time, the Pacers had seized control and avenged the last-second defeat here on Jan. 10.

"It definitely shows what we're capable of," said C.J. Miles, who along with most of the starters didn't have to play a single minute in the fourth quarter. "We always believe once we got healthy, we'd be ready to compete. … Now that we're getting even more healthy and more comfortable, it's just starting to click. Guys are sliding into their roles."

Stuckey's clear and defined role means he becomes the scorer off the bench for the final 27 games of the regular season. Of course, if he can stay healthy.

The Pacers have already reached a total of 178 missed games due to injury; and Stuckey has contributed to that number by sitting out eight games. Though Stuckey would not put weight on his left ankle as teammates helped him off the floor after the play, he seemed confident that he would be fine by Sunday night when the Pacers play the Golden State Warriors.

"Making sure everyone stays healthy is important," Stuckey said. "Who knew I was going to twist my ankle? It just happened. It is just what it is, it's no one's fault. I just fell on someone's foot… now I just get ready for Sunday. I should be good."

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