It seemed like the Pacers had finally found something as January turned into February. With C.J. Miles replacing Monta Ellis in the starting lineup, they had won five-straight games. They were defending the 3-point line, and they were holding opponents to 100.6 points per 100 possessions, a mark which was good for fourth in the league over that span of time. But just as everything was finally starting to look up, Thaddeus Young got hurt and the team’s season-long struggle with consistent inconsistency reared its ugly head.
In the immediate aftermath, they managed to soundly put away a tired, travel-delayed Detroit team playing their third game in four nights before eking out a home win over the Thunder.