Pacers Throttle Nuggets: I Don't Believe What I Just Saw

Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets came to Conseco Fieldhouse for a game against the Indiana Pacers. Apparently someone forgot to tell the Nuggets.

The winning team put up 144 points, while shooting nearly 65 percent from the floor and over 53 percent from beyond the arc. They won by 31 points and had 37 assists in the win. The surprising part? It was the Pacers, not the Nuggets.

In one of the most impressive Pacers wins in many years, Darren Collison and Mike Dunleavy led the way in the team's offensive explosion. Dunleavy led all scorers with 31 points, while Collison added 29 points and six assists.

Darren was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and 12-of-14 overall from the floor. Dunleavy nailed six three-pointers in the game.

Danny Granger got out of his shooting slump in dramatic fashion, as he shot 8-for-10 from the floor on the night, finishing with 19 points and five assists. Roy Hibbert put in 17 points for the Blue & Gold.

Tyler Hansbrough came off the bench with 20 points and nine rebounds. Brandon Rush had a very solid game in his season debut, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench.

Obviously the Pacers shot the ball extremely well, and the Nuggets don't exactly play the most solid defense in the league. Regardless of that, it was oh so satisfying to see the Pacers play inspired basketball; something that has been missing for so many years in the basketball capital of the world.

Indiana was hustling like a team that was in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The all-out effort and intensity of the game was something Pacers fans and coaches want to see a lot of this year.

The Pacers outscored Denver 54-27 in the third quarter to take a 113-76 lead going into the fourth. Indiana shot 20-of-21 from the floor in the third quarter, just missing perfection as McRoberts missed a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left. The Pacers made 31-of-39 shots in the second half, and their largest lead of the game was 39 points.

Perhaps the best statistic of this game was the assist total for Indiana. I don't even know when the last time the Pacers had 37 assists in a game, or if they have ever.

Four different players had at least five assists in the game, and the overall ball movement was near perfect. Couple that with the shooting percentage and the amazing ability to crash the boards, and you've got a 144-113 blowout win at home.

This is exactly what the Pacers needed after their last two games had been somewhat uninspired basketball. Roy Hibbert actually was disgusted with those two losses, saying he didn't even recognize that team. If this is the team he expected to see, Pacers fans have something to look forward to this year.

I know it's impossible to expect them to put up these kind of numbers all year, but the question is, if you can do it once, why can't you do it more often?

Just because it happened once doesn't mean it is just a one-time thing. They are capable of playing with the same intensity and passion that they played with tonight.

Maybe Brandon Rush's return inspired them. Maybe the return of Rush was a challenge to Mike Dunleavy to play better if he wants to keep his job. Maybe the Pacers just got lucky and were hitting all of their shots.

Maybe this team is better than people give them credit for. Even if that is the case, they will need to play more consistent basketball during the season. They can't get blown out by the 76ers and Bucks, then crush teams like Denver.

The Pacers evened their record at 3-3 this season and will stay home as they host another game against a Western Conference opponent this Friday when the Houston Rockets come to town.

Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. If the Pacers play anything like they did tonight, make you sure get a ticket to the game, and bring your popcorn.