Small ball works for Pacers, but not without some glitches

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — For a night, it worked. The whole idea of playing four potent and versatile scorers on the wing along with a single big man and forcing an opponent into uncomfortable fits on the defensive end. On Tuesday, the spread lineup worked for the Indiana Pacers – in spite of itself.

The Pacers picked up their first win of the season, a 94-82 victory over the previously undefeated Detroit Pistons, even though a litany of reasons should’ve produced a less desirable result.

The offensively-geared Pacers gave up too much to one man under the glass, losing the team rebounding margin 50-42. The disparity in points in the paint was even greater as the Pistons owned a 20-plus edge. Even worse, the starters combined to shoot just 35 percent from the floor.

Yet somehow, the Pacers have a 1-3 record after all this. And it’s only because reserve guard Rodney Stuckey needed one bucket to match the entire production of the Pistons bench but thankfully could do more than that with a team-high 23 points.

“This was definitely a must-win game for us, looking at our schedule it doesn’t get easy,” Stuckey said. “We play a great team in Boston (on Wednesday). We got Miami on Friday and after that we’ve got Cleveland. Detroit’s a great team as well.

“Just felt like everyone was in sync,” Stuckey concluded.

BOX SCORE: Pacers 94, Pistons 82

Detroit (3-1), so rich in rebounding and monster performances from Andre Drummond (25 points, 29 rebounds with 11 coming on the offensive end), may have the worst bench in the NBA. No other team in the league relies more on its front five than the Pistons – the starting unit accounts for 80.7 percent of the offense, according to STATS, LLC. So in the second quarter when coach Stan Van Gundy made the honest mistake of trying to depend on his reserves for 5 minutes, the Pacers pulled away.

With the ball mainly in Stuckey’s hands, the Pacers began the quarter down 30-24 but scored 20 straight points against the Pistons' reserves. Stuckey knocked down 3-of-4 shots for eight points while Jordan Hill and Myles Turner both hit a pair of buckets. When George Hill, who played alongside Stuckey in the backcourt, tossed in a 3-pointer in transition at the 7:13 mark, the Pacers led 44-30, forcing Van Gundy to call timeout. After the break, Van Gundy inserted three starters. For the game, the Pistons sent out six players from the bench but only got two points. The starters scored 80.

Behind this second-quarter run, Indiana would maintain leads throughout.

Even though the spread look produced some easy buckets in transition (15 steals on the night), the physical edge belonged to Drummond. Ian Mahinmi played less than 6 minutes before a sore back sent him to the locker room and, without him, the Pacers had to go against the best rebounding machine in the league without their starting center. Maybe even with Mahinmi on the floor the Pacers would’ve been worked over by Drummond, whose 29 rebounds outmatched the sum of the Indiana starters plus Jordan Hill, who replaced Mahinmi (27).

Still the Pacers won. So, it worked.

“The first one always feels good but especially when you start 0-3, that’s no fun,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “It hasn’t been a fun couple of days for anybody in our organization. It’s been a little bit edgy.”

On Tuesday, a remnant of Pistons fans appeared to be just as edgy. Audible boos could be heard from the 13,325 in attendance whenever Stuckey, a former Piston, checked into the game. This surprised Stuckey because he did not receive the jeering treatment last year, his first away from the Pistons.

“I don’t know what I did to this city. I’ve always gave back to this city, always been professional, but it is what it is,” Stuckey said about the night’s reaction. “Obviously, I’m in another jersey now. They’re rooting their team on. I play for Indiana. It’s always good to come back and see the people I worked with and see faces that I know.”

Stuckey signed a one-year deal with the Pacers in July 2014 after playing his first seven years with Detroit.

“I had six coaches in seven years, I’ll just keep it like that,” Stuckey sad. “A lot of change. A lot of dysfunctional things that were going in throughout the organization, but it’s in the past now. I’m happy to be a Pacer, I’m happy to be here. Great organization. (But) it’s always good to come back and see some great people.”

Contact Star reporter Candace Buckner at candace.buckner@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

BOSTON vs INDIANA

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis.

TV: FSI.

Radio: WFNI-AM (1070), WFNI-FM (107.5), W228CX-FM (93.5).

Celtics (1-2)

Pos; Player; PPG; Key stat

PG; Marcus Smart; 12.0 ppg; 3.7 apg

SG; Avery Bradley; 11.7 ppg; 3.3 rpg

SF; Jae Crowder; 9.3 ppg; 4.7 rpg

PF; David Lee; 5.3 ppg; 6.3 rpg

C; Tyler Zeller; 5.3 ppg; 0.7 rpg

6th; Isaiah Thomas; 22.3 ppg; 6.3 rpg

Pacers (1-3)

Pos; Player; PPG; Key stat

PG; George Hill; 18.7 ppg; 50.0 FG%

SG; Monta Ellis; 10.0 ppg; 4.0 apg

SF; C.J. Miles; 13.7 ppg; 40.0 3pt%

PF; Paul George; 17.0 ppg; 7.7 rpg

C; Ian Mahinmi; 9.0 ppg; 7.3 rpg

6th; Rodney Stuckey; 9.7 ppg; 3.3 rpg

STORYLINES

THOMAS PLAYS LIKE A STARTER: After the Celtics acquired Isaiah Thomas from the Sacramento Kings last season, he made a late push for Sixth Man of the Year honors. This year right out of the gate, Thomas may run away with the award. Thomas leads Eastern Conference guards in scoring with his 22.3 point-per-game average — and if he can keep up that rate, why settle on Sixth Man? Thomas could make his first bid for the All-Star team.

NO CHILL FROM 3: Before the Pacers faced the Pistons on Tuesday night, a pair of starters, C.J. Miles and George Hill, had attempted more shots from beyond the arc than any other spot on the floor. According to STATS LLC, Miles ranked first in the league with the highest percentage of field goal attempts from 3 (20-of-31 total shots, 64.5 percent) while Hill was fifth (20-of-34, 58.8%). The sample size includes players with a minimum of 25 field goal attempts this season.

PREDICTION: This matchup will be one of the many among East teams when the Pacers’ spread lineup should provide an advantage. Throughout the starting five matchup, Indiana should boast a talent edge. The key word here: Should. Boston still has two key bench performers in Thomas and Amir Johnson. Also, what the Celtics lack in star power, they more than make up for in team play and budding continuity. So let's adjust the key word … Indiana could win 110-104.

— Candace Buckner