RSS
Home
Indiana Pacers F Tyler Hansbrough makes debut in 102-86 victory over Washington Wizards
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Indiana Pacers F Tyler Hansbrough
The debut of F Tyler Hansbrough was a story for the Indiana Pacers Friday.
But as Pacers coach Jim O'Brien saw it, it was far from the only story of a 102-86 victory over the Washington Wizards in front of 14,556 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
And it may not have been the most important story.
Hansbrough, the No. 13 overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, played his first game after missing the first four -- not to mention training camp and preseason -- with a shin issue that dated to his senior season at the University of North Carolina. But as O'Brien saw it, a bigger key may have been the Pacers' defense.
The Pacers (2-3), who entered the season with a reputation as an offensive team, shot 40 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from 3-point range.
And they still won by 16 points.
“It was a great effort by our team,” O'Brien said. “When you hold them under 25 every quarter, you are doing something. The first thing we wrote on the board for the players when they came in was, 'Maintain defensive intensity.'''
Which is just what the Pacers did.
Indiana, which won a second consecutive game after three season-opening losses to teams expected to contend for the playoffs, held the undermanned, injured Wizards (2-4) to 39.3 percent shooting and also forced 19 turnovers.
“We played really good defense tonight,” Pacers C Roy Hibbert said.
“It's good to know even though a bad shooting night is there we still got the win,” said All-Star F Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 22 points on 7-of-21 shooting. “That's important, because our shooting is going to come. The last two years we've been a top 3-point shooting team. Our offense is going to there. It's the defense we need to get going.”
Hibbert, who continued to improve in the early season, registered a third career double-double. He registered the first two double doubles of his career in the past two games, and scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds on Friday.
Dahntay Jones, starting at forward with injuries to Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Greg Foster, continued to develop as an offensive presence, scoring 18 points and adding five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Point guard T.J. Ford, criticized by fans and observers during the early-season losing streak, had 18 points and 10 rebounds while committing no turnovers.
“Winning solves a lot of problems in this league,” Ford said.
Hansbrough's presence may not have been a problem-solving situation, but it certainly provided the story of the night, and potentially a glimpse of the future.
"We had all been waiting to see Tyler play," Granger said. "We've seen him play in practice and know how aggressive he is. They got a taste of it tonight. It was a lot of fun. . . .
“He's so physical, he's one of those guys you definitely want on your team."
Hansbrough was limited in his first appearance, playing 13:49. Still, in that time he showed much of the energy that made him of the nation's top collegians the last four seasons.
“Tyler was tough,” O'Brien said. “It was about what I expected. He was a little rusty in some areas, but he'll attack offensively and defensively.”
Said Hansbrough, “I had a couple of jitters it being my first time on the NBA stage. I just tried to get into the flow of the game.”
Hansbrough shot 3 of 7 from the floor and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. He also had five rebounds.
“I didn't know what to expect,” Hansbrough said. “It was kind of a reality check – you know, 'I'm out here, finally.' I just went out and played my game. I played well. I didn't do my best, but I sure tried.”
The Pacers, after losses in their first three games, won their second in succession by taking a four-point lead after the first quarter and extending it to 14 late in the second. Hansbrough led the Pacers with seven third-quarter points as they pushed the lead to 82-65.
Pacers news and notes:
* Brandon Rush sustained a sprained right ankle in the second quarter and did not return. Luther Head did not play because of a lingering ankle issue. Troy Murphy (back), Jeff Foster (ankle), Mike Dunleavy (knee) and Travis Diener (toe) also missed Friday's game.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
