Autumn Allison

autumn.allison@indystar.com

Nuggets at Pacers%2C 7 p.m. Friday%2C FSI

Much can change but something always stays the same. For the Indiana Pacers, that steadfast fact is that it's a defensive-minded club.

The emphasis on defense paid off Wednesday when the Pacers snapped a seven-game losing streak (regular season and playoffs) in Miami by holding the Heat to their lowest point total of the season in an 81-75 victory.

"We got after it and I still think it could be a lot better," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "We (the coaching staff) are giving maximum effort and giving them the plan, scheme of how to shut down each opponent each night. The guys are doing their best to focus in on the details of those schemes and bring a lot of heart, a lot of muscle. And it turned into a win last night."

The Pacers were able to control a Miami team with two-thirds of its Big Three(sans LeBron James, of course) intact, without elite defender Paul George. Now the franchise looks to guard Solomon Hill as the stopper.

"He's the guy we put on the best perimeter scorer each game," Vogel said. "He's got a great opportunity each game to just get out there and learn. … He probably wouldn't have that opportunity if Paul George was in there.

"(Hill) has the ability to be an elite defensive player in this league and shutdown wing."

Roy Hibbert provides that extra cushion in the schemes. Donald Sloan, who drew an offensive foul from Mario Chalmers in the final seconds of Wednesday's game, said Hibbert provides some breathing room for the rest of the guys.

"He's so great at the rim and protecting it, we can, not necessarily not play great defense because he is back there, but we know that if we are playing that hard and have a minor slip-up, he's back there to help and protect," said Sloan.

The repetition of quick transitions and in-game scenarios throughout the line-up is what has kept the team solid defensively.

"Coach does a great job of making sure we are keyed in on rotations," Chris Copeland said. "We are just trying to be a hard-nosed team despite the losses that we have with injuries and what not. We are going to continue to fight on the defensive end to make it tougher.

"Between the film, drills, regular practice the coaches do a great job of getting us in the right place at the right time. As long as we continue to follow the schemes, we'll do fine."

With the fluctuating roster, defense has become the main way for Indiana to keep a settled game plan each and every night.

"Night-in and night-out in this league is going to be different offensively. … Defensively you can always be at your best," Sloan said. "You can always do the same thing that you do night-in and night-out to bring the same intensity, the same focus."

And with Wednesday's success, you can't blame the Pacers for sticking with what they know.

Follow Star Reporter Autumn Allison on Twitter: @Aallison25.

NUGGETS AT PACERS

>> Tipoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Bankers Life Fieldhouse

>> TV: Fox Sports Indiana

>> Radio: WFNI-107.5 FM, 1070 AM

PROJECTED STARTERS

Pacers (2-6)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Donald Sloan 13.4 4.9 apg SG Solomon Hill 11.8 5.4 rpg SF Chris Copeland 15.6 5.4 rpg PF Luis Scola 7.1 7.3 rpg C Roy Hibbert 14.8 3.3 bpg

Nuggets (1-6)

Pos. Player PPG Key stat PG Ty Lawson 16.7 7.5 apg SG Arron Afflalo 9.9 86.7 FT% SF Wilson Chandler 9.9 4.7 rpg PF Kenneth Faried 11.4 8.0 rpg C Timofey Mozgov 8.3 6.9 rpg

>> Likely Return: After missing four games due to a migraine, CJ Miles will likely be back in the Pacers rotation on Friday. "It was a little crazy," Miles said. "I started off with a migraine situation and just had some other complications, some other things that popped up that kind of just drug it out a little bit. But I'm a lot better now." Miles will be listed as probable and will undergo game time evaluation.

>>Familiar Face: Nuggets coach Brian Shaw returns to Bankers Fieldhouse, this time on the opposite bench. From 2011-13, Shaw served as an assistant coach under Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "It's just another coach to me,"said Vogel. "He's on the other sideline. We are going after each other. We just want to get a win." Shaw is one of Vogel's "favorite people I've ever met, ever worked with" and he wishes "him well in every game he's not playing against the Pacers."

>>Familiar Face, Part II: Former IndyStar Mr. Basketball Gary Harris (Hamilton Southeastern) has yet to play in an NBA game due to a back injury.

>>>Prediction: A much needed win in a difficult venue provides a confidence boost to the Pacers' season. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have been continuing their downward spiral with a 130-113 loss to Portland, allowing 84 points in the first half (more than Miami scored the whole game against Indiana). Denver is the fourth-worst defensive club in the league, allowing 108.6 points per 100 possessions. Couple that with a defensively-oriented Pacers squad and this could get ugly. If the Pacers can defend even remotely close to Wednesday's game the Nuggets are in trouble. Indiana 110, Denver 96.