Nate Taylor

IndyStar

Sixers at Pacers, 7 p.m. Monday, FSI

Fewer games remain on the schedule, the Eastern Conference standings remain tight and the Indiana Pacers remain on a quest to secure their playoff spot.

Ahead of the Pacers is a 13-game stretch to end the regular season that – yes, on paper – appears favorable. Starting with Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Pacers have the easiest remaining strength of schedule. The upcoming opponents entered Saturday with a collective .426 winning percentage, according to STATS LLC.

The Pacers' hopes to win consecutive games rest on sharing the ball, one of the simplest philosophies in basketball. The Pacers plan to increase their ball movement to stay consistent on offense.

“This game is all about rhythm, man,” Monta Ellis said after Sunday’s practice. “When you can pass up a shot and get your teammate a better shot and then they return the favor, it works and both players have the confidence to take those shots and understand that they’re going to get that shot when they’re wide open and be confident to knock it down.”

Despite their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, the Pacers have grown in terms of passing. Since December, the Pacers have increased their assists per game with each month. In March, they are averaging 22.1.

More passing has also meant fewer turnovers. The Pacers’ turnovers per game have decreased each month since January. In March, the Paces are committing just 13.2 a game, a statistic coach Frank Vogel has emphasized all season.

The Pacers continued those trends against the Thunder with 28 assists and 12 turnovers.

“We’ve got to improve our passing,” Vogel said. “We were pretty good last night. Twenty-eight assists and 12 turnovers, that’s going to win for you most nights.”

Paul George's 45 not enough to overcome Thunder

Ellis and George Hill, the Pacers’ primary ballhandlers, recorded a combined 16 assists against the Thunder.

Although the Pacers are aware of their remaining schedule, Ellis said the team must remain focused on itself, which means playing fundamentally sound. What the Pacers can control, Ellis said, is how they value each possession. He wants to make sure the Pacers do not make scoring too difficult. His slogan is easy to remember: The more we share the ball, the better off we will be.

“Since the All-Star break, we’ve realized that we missed a lot of easy opportunities to get guys wide-open shots,” said Ellis, who leads the team with 4.8 assists per game. “Sometimes we start out quarters or games where we can’t hit shots and that’s because they’ll be tough shots. They’re always contested. That extra pass is always better.”

Paul George said that is the lesson he and the rest of the team are trying to explain to rookie Myles Turner.

In an abundance of learning experiences this season, Turner has progressed from a bench player to a starter because of strong offensive skills. Turner was named the East’s Rookie of the Month in February after averaging 13.4 points in almost 30 minutes per game. In March, he has averaged 9.8 points in 25.4 minutes.



George has noticed how opponents have adjusted to Turner. He explained how defenders have pressured Turner by getting right under his chin once the ball is in his hands. Some teams have double-teamed Turner.

“He had great success early on, but now teams are dialed into him and he still thinks he’s going to get those same looks,” George said of Turner. “We keep telling him the game is going to open up more the better you get with moving it and the better you get with finding the open man.”

In March, George has been an offensive force.

He is averaging 25.1 points per game, almost two points higher than his season average. George said one reason he is playing better on offense – including his 45-point explosion against the Thunder – is because he and his teammates have a better understanding of their spacing on the court, the defensive rotation from opponents and where the ball needs to go once the defense commits a mistake.

“For the most part, we’ve grown in that aspect of not trying to do everything on our own,” George said. “I think myself and Monta, in particular, have really taken on sharing the ball.”

Pacers’ Hickory branding exceeds expectations

Thunder coach Billy Donovan noticed that when preparing for Saturday’s game. In watching film of the Pacers, Donovan said he saw an unselfish team, a trait he said could be valuable when most teams know their opponent’s plays after 65 games.

“They’re going to move the ball and they’re going to move the floor,” Donovan said of the Pacers. “When you start moving the basketball and you start moving the floor, what you’re hoping for is a breakdown, is a misstep, is something that creates a crack or an opportunity for a really good offensive player to probe and make a play and create something for himself or somebody else.”

George hopes the Pacers will continue to perfect their passing proficiency in the final 13 games of the season. He understands the Pacers cannot sabotage themselves with turnovers. He is looking forward to seeing if the Pacers can pass their way into the playoffs.

“I think this is great, going through a playoff stretch to face opponents that we should win,” he said. “I think that should be a great confidence booster for us. Going down the stride, we should learn and figure out, at this point, how to play together, and it’s good to have these couple of games ahead of us where we can focus on playing the right way and still coming out with wins.”

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

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Sixers at Pacers, 7 p.m. Monday, FSI

SIXERS



PACERS

Storylines



PACERS LIMITED IN PRACTICE: The Pacers, at least in the last week, have not had five-on-five scrimmages during their practices. Instead, coach Frank Vogel has decided to have Paul George and Monta Ellis rest since they have played the most minutes this season. The team is also monitoring Rodney Stuckey (right foot) and George Hill (right toe) to make sure they are available for games.

LAWSON APPEARS READY: Ty Lawson should make his second appearance with the Pacers against the 76ers on Monday. Lawson did participate in Sunday’s practice. He was in uniform for Saturday’s game, but did not play in order to be cautious with his left foot. Coach Frank Vogel said Lawson will not have a minute’s restriction if he does play Monday.

QUOTABLE: “I think with this group, we’re confident facing anyone. If we continue to have lapses and continue to not play at the level we need to, it doesn’t matter what seed or, at this point, it doesn’t matter if we make it. We don’t want to just be in there. We want to have a chance to really have an opportunity to win a championship. We’ve got to gain an identity and gain a defensive composure to where teams are afraid and teams fear our defense.” – Paul George on how the Pacers should approach their potential seed in the playoffs.

PREDICTION: The Philadelphia 76ers entered Sunday with nine wins all season. Pacers 121, 76ers 99.

– Nate Taylor