Pacers Out-Pace Denver Nuggets in Preseason
In the first NBA preseason game to ever be played in Taiwan, the Indiana Pacers trumped the Denver Nuggers, 126-104 on Thursday.
PF Troy Murphy, SG Brandon Rush and second-year center Roy Hibbert each chipped in 20 points for the Pacers, who burst out to a lead with a 60-point first half.
The sellout crowd of 13,599 at Taipei Arena were treated to one of the Western Conference finalists and their stars, as Nuggets’ forward Carmelo Anthony led his team with 17 points, and point guard Chauncey Billups added 14 for Denver.
The 7’2” Hibbert, the second-year center out of Georgetown, posted the most impressive stat line of the night, nearly recording a triple-double. Hibbert scored 20 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and blocked a ridiculous eight shots. Most impressively for Hibbert – he only turned the ball over once and had two fouls, a huge improvement over his foul plagued rookie season.
“We’re probably about 35 percent ready for the season,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “We executed tonight what we practiced.”
Pacers point guard T.J. Ford notched double digit assists (10) in 24 minutes of play, along with six points and four steals.
The Pacers led by 24 points going into the fourth quarter.
