Pacers know they must get off to better starts

The question no longer begins with a "why." Instead, the Indiana Pacers focus on the "how" – as in how they can jump to better starts in games.

Over the past 10 games, the first quarters have played out as 12 minutes of dysfunction. Then, the sluggish starts plummeted to a disastrous low on Thursday night in Milwaukee. Indiana fell down by as many as 23 points, losing the quarter in unfathomably poor fashion – one player, Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova outscored the entire Pacers' roster.

So by Saturday, the Pacers took to solving the first-quarter puzzle. Coach Frank Vogel offered this tongue-in-cheek resolution: "Well, we've got to play better defense and we've got to play better offense in the first quarter. If we do those two things, we'll be OK."

Overly simplified responses aside, the Pacers (31-41) could take a lesson in not complicating the first quarter.

While the team has designed plays in the half-court sets, which goes along with a specific game plan, often players spend too much time setting up the action, instead of getting involved in it.

Over the first 2 and 1/2 half minutes of the game on Thursday, the Pacers' opening two possessions descended into shot-clock violation turnovers while the third did not produce a field-goal attempt until six seconds remained on the clock. In the quarter, the Pacers made just 6-of-19 shots and committed six turnovers.

"It's tough to put a finger on it, to be honest with you," Vogel said. "We've just got to be assertive in sharing the basketball and scoring the basketball. One thing we stress with guys, we'd like to facilitate early. Sometimes that leads to too much over passing and late-clock situations, which are bad situations. Sometimes you've just got to be more assertive."

On Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, it could be argued that the Pacers got decent looks through the first quarter for their 14 shot attempts – five in the paint, as well as five beyond the arc from the team's best 3-point shooters available, C.J. Miles, George Hill and Damjan Rudež. Even so, the shots did not fall with regularity – the Pacers only made 25 percent – as they fell into a 20-14 deficit.

In offering his solution to better starts, center Roy Hibbert suggests his teammates utilize pregame workouts as a more centered time to prepare for the tip-off.

"We try to make sure we focus on getting into good pregame warm-ups so we knock our shots down and (be) precise with the first couple plays we call. Make sure we don't have any mess ups," Hibbert said. "Going into games we know what plays are going to be called, and making sure we work on getting shots in pregame where we know we're going to get the ball in our sweet spots. It's just everybody (has to) make sure we give a little bit more and work a little bit harder."

Solomon Hill, the only Pacer to have played in all 72 games, offers an even more direct answer to the first-quarter problems – give point guard George Hill a break.

"One thing I think we've got to do is alleviate so much pressure off G," Hill said after the 111-07 loss to Milwaukee. "I think we want him to be our primary scorer but in the beginning of the game, fresh off a back to back, I think we have to give it to him easier. I was even saying, seeing if we can look at different ways (of) getting it to him instead of him bringing the ball down and having to go all the way to the rim."

In Milwaukee, as George Hill brought up the ball, he regularly faced defensive pressure from lengthy point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Hill, who heavily relied on his legs for the majority of his own jump-shot centered offense, also needed to score as the Pacers' best go-to option. Thus, Solomon Hill believes his point guard can use a hand – one that he's offering to lend.

"Just talking to him and coach and seeing if we can get him into different situations where maybe I can play some (point guard) and set him up," Solomon Hill said. "I think we have to alleviate pressure because we're trying to get a guy going early on and certain guys going when it needs to be breaking the defense down, finding the sweet spots and trying to get everybody going.

"I think that's why we come out with the slow starts."

Still, the 'why' no longer matters. The Pacers must now try to figure out how to fix this problem.

"They've heard loud and clear we've lost 10 straight first quarters, so we clearly have to do better," Vogel said. "More assertive offensively and then we've got to guard better. We're letting teams come (out) and get off on us in the first quarter. We've got to dial in to what's got to be done early in the game."

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

DALLAS AT INDIANA

Tipoff: 7 p.m. today, Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

TV: Fox Sports Indiana.

Radio: WFNI-1070 AM, 107.5 FM.

MAVERICKS (45-28)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Rajon Rondo 8.7 8.0 apg SG Devin Harris 8.8 3.2 rpg SF Chandler Parsons 15.5 4.9 rpg PF Dirk Nowitzki 17.1 6.0 rpg C Tyson Chandler 10.1 11.4 rpg 6th Amar'e Stoudemire 11.3 5.8 rpg

PACERS (31-41)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG George Hill 15.9 4.7 apg SG C.J. Miles 12.6 2.9 rpg SF Solomon Hill 9.2 4.0 rpg PF David West 11.9 7.0 rpg C Roy Hibbert 10.8 1.7 bpg 6th Rodney Stuckey 12.9 .383 3-pt FG%

STORYLINES

Injury updates: While Rodney Stuckey (sore left calf) and David West (allergic reaction) participated in practice on Saturday, both players' statuses remain murky. Stuckey is questionable on Sunday after missing three straight games. West, who's left eye appeared to be blood shot, is probable. For the Mavericks, starting two-guard Monta Ellis will likely not play after sustaining a right calf injury. According to media reports, Ellis walked around with the assistance of crutches on Saturday. "So he appears to be very doubtful for tomorrow," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "We don't think it's serious. But we are concerned."

Prediction: The Mavericks may be holding on to the seventh seed in the West, but lack backcourt depth especially with Ellis out of the picture and Rajon Rondo playing unimpressively since his arrival in Dallas. The Pacers, it can be argued, lack just about everything (i.e. defense, shotmaking, execution) and are stumbling at the worst time of the season. With only 10 games remaining, Indiana is running out of time to catch the Boston Celtics for the 8th seed. However… Pacers win 109-105.

— Candace Buckner