Nate Taylor

IndyStar

Pelicans at Pacers, 7 p.m. Thursday, FSI, NBA TV

Habits, by definition, are difficult to change. Or alter. Or even modify.

For two consecutive days, the Indiana Pacers stressed the importance of playing better. They talked of being more about fundamentals than flash, a team that shares the ball and plays with maximum effort. Those defensive lapses, those costly turnovers, those nights of being outrebounded. The Pacers understand that will not help them clinch a spot in the playoffs.

Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the worst team in the NBA, served as the Pacers’ first chance to build better habits. Sure, the Pacers were victorious 91-75. Yet, many of the Pacers’ tendencies for the previous 69 games of the season were on display at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

They struggled to collect rebounds. They had several empty possessions on offense. Most egregious, though, was that the Pacers left their locker room at halftime and lacked the focus and intensity to extend their 11-point lead.

Instead, the 76ers, who entered Monday with just nine wins, remained pesky.

“We did come out a little complacent being up against Philly,” Paul George said. He added: “It’s on us. We’ve got to do a better job of making sure the game runs and the flow is fluid. I think sometimes we do a lot of randomness out there and I think that’s where it comes about of guys just being unsure of things. That’s what we have to clean up.”

• BOX SCORE: Pacers 91, Sixers 75

Before the game, coach Frank Vogel was asked which habits he wanted to prioritized.

“The list?” he said. “I could go 200 (items) deep.”

Two he mentioned were rebounding and ball movement. Though the Pacers recorded 18 assists, too often they were careless with the ball, which resulted in awkward plays or their 12 turnovers.

The Pacers outrebounded the 76ers only by one. Vogel did mention that his team, according to the coaching staff’s statistics, had 35 deflections on defense. But during the game, Vogel, who grew up rooting for the 76ers in New Jersey, was visibly displeased.

“We were just a little bit disjointed offensively,” Vogel said. “We had some guys step up and make big shots, but I wasn’t happy with our overall offensive rhythm.”

An uneven performance. Vogel and his players agreed with that assessment though they stopped a two-game losing skid.

“I felt like we didn’t play great, but I do feel like we played our defense,” Ian Mahinmi said of the Pacers holding the 76ers to just 38.8 percent shooting. “That defense kept us in the game even though they made some runs. It wasn’t a pretty win, but I think if there’s a positive tonight, it’s the defense.”

No one in a Pacers uniform had a stellar game.

George finished with 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Mahinmi finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but he had two fouls due to a lack of discipline in setting screens. George Hill, still playing through a right toe injury, had 12 points, four assists and four rebounds. He also had the best plus/minus with a plus-18.

Ty Lawson made just his second appearance since joining the team two weeks ago. Lawson, returning from a sprained left foot, provided some energy and a steady ball handling in his 15 minutes.

He was able to dribble into the paint and he increased the Pacers’ ball movement. Lawson finished with six points, two assists and two rebounds.

“I just want to see how everybody feels,” Lawson said of his approach after limited practice. “This is also a good team to do it against. I get to feel where everybody needs the ball and where everybody wants their shots. I was just trying to find where I fit in.”

At the end of the third quarter, he pushed the ball up the court and swished a 3-pointer. The crowd roared, a sound that Lawson appreciated as the newcomer who is still learning the terminology of the Pacers’ playbook.

“He contributed a lot,” George said of Lawson. “I thought he did a great job of pushing the tempo. For him, he’s still trying to get comfortable with everyone and it’s going to take time.”

Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

Pelicans at Pacers, 7 p.m. Thursday, FSI, NBA TV

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