Stuckey leads Pacers' hot shooting past Magic

The Rodney Stuckey whom the Indiana Pacers pursued last summer in free agency did not look to be the answer to the team's shooting woes. After losing their two best creators and coming off a season in which they functioned with a middle-of-the-pack 44.9 field-goal percentage, the Pacers signed a guy with career numbers that you would hide on the "Welcome to Indianapolis" press release.

Just a 42.5 percent shooter from the floor, and the numbers slid even deeper every time Stuckey stepped beyond the 3-point arc, to a lowly 29.7 percent. Career statistics reveal a body of work, not just a fluke, and Stuckey's showed seven years as a consummate scorer but hardly a shooter.

However on nights like Tuesday, Stuckey continues to challenge the notion that numbers never lie. Maybe, in Stuckey's case, they fib a little.

During the Pacers' offensively appealing 118-86 win over the Orlando Magic, the team connected on an all-time franchise best 17 3-pointers, served up a season-high 37 assists and charred the nylons with a .529 shooting percentage. And it all started behind the hottest chef in the kitchen, Stuckey sparkling with 34 points – the most scored by a Pacer this season – on mostly shots from the perimeter and farther.

"Just shooting the ball," Stuckey said, minimizing his performance after Indiana won its sixth straight and improved to 29-34. "Coach always tells me, 'Shoot when you're open.' They were going in tonight."

Afterwards, even Stuckey had to admit that he was indeed "cooking," and he did so in challenging scenarios. Among his 19 shot attempts against Orlando, only two came within the painted area.

Dispelling popular analytics, Stuckey attempted eight shots from midrange, an area frowned upon by statheads.

Swishing in some 3-pointers that can only be classified as bad looks, Stuckey made the consecutive shot clock bail-outs immediately after checking in the first quarter.

Sautéing single coverage, Stuckey willingly passed when the Magic sent two bodies, and yet still finished 13-of-19 overall (68.4 percent) as well as 6-of-9 from 3s (66.7 percent) and a team-best seven assists.

"Man, that was the most impressive thing of the night," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said, praising Stuckey's readiness to punish the Magic's aggressive blitzing on pick-and-rolls and swing the ball instead of hunting for more points.

"He could've gone for 50 if he really wanted to, but he didn't force at all," Vogel said. "He was our best ball mover tonight. That's what's impressive."

So, what happened to the Rodney Stuckey last seen in Detroit? Vogel thinks Stuckey's comfort within Indy's culture, locker room and organization explains the turnaround.

And who is this born-again baller averaging nearly 20 points and making over half of his shots and 53.1 percent on 3s since permanently moving to the Pacers' bench? Stuckey justifies his sweet shooting stroke with good, ol' fashioned hard work. Before every practice, after every shootaround, find Stuckey on the practice court, hoisting up 100-110 jumpers with his workout partner, reputed sharpshooter Damjan Rudež.

"He's been playing amazing basketball of late," Rudež said of Stuckey, who joined the second unit nine games ago. "He's just a beast out there. We all had faith in him that he would create that instant offense for us. … His contribution means a lot to our team."

Rudež started in place of an injured C.J. Miles (sore foot) and played among a unit with an offense in need of an adrenaline shot. The Pacers trailed Orlando 16-9 at the 6:07 mark of the first quarter when Stuckey entered the game. But by the time the quarter closed, Stuckey had 16 points on 6-of-7 makes and the Pacers pulled to within 28-26.

"There's not much you can do. When someone gets hot like that, you've just got to try your best to slow him down," Magic (21-44) guard Victor Oladipo said. "And he got really hot today. I was trying. I was right there. I think I played great 'D,' and he just made tough shots."

Through the second quarter, and now playing alongside his normal rotation with the Pacers' reserves, Stuckey and the second unit drowned Orlando under a wave of jump shots and 3-point makes. Rudež, Stuckey, then C.J. Watson made 3-pointers in three consecutive possessions as part of an 18-0 run that began in the first quarter.

Though the Pacers as a whole began to warm up, Stuckey was so efficient and such an offensive machine that at one stretch during his first-half play, he had contributed 22 points from the time he checked into the game while his teammates combined for only 11.

Then, in the third quarter, the Pacers reached new levels of sublime play. With less than 3 minutes to go, George Hill showed tremendous hustle during a possession to save a loose ball headed for an over-and-back turnover. Hill extended over the halfcourt line to flip the ball back in play for Stuckey, who promptly rewarded the effort with yet another 3-pointer that extended the Pacers' lead to 82-66.

Stuckey hasn't performed like the player the Pacers signed this summer – and the team should be thankful for that.

"Just feeling confident in my shot," Stuckey said. "Not second-guessing myself no more. When I'm open, I shoot. Make or miss. That's what coach emphasizes. When you hear that from the leader, obviously it gives you more confidence."

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