25-year old point guard D.J. Augustin continues to stink it up for the Pacers.  He has played in 5 games (0 starts) so far in April and he is averaging 13.7 minutes, 4.6 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Augustin has now played in 74 games (4 starts) overall this year for the Pacers and he is averaging 16.1 minutes, 4.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.  Augustin is only shooting 35.3% from the floor and 36% from three point range so far this year and that is pathetic for a point guard.  But, all will be forgotten if Augustin steps up and plays well in the playoffs behind George Hill.

The Pacers need 26-year old point guard George Hill to get back on track before the playoffs start.  He has played in 3 games (all starts) so far in April for the Pacers and he is averaging 34.5 minutes, 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game on only 37.5% shooting from the floor.  Hill has now played in 73 games (all starts) overall this year for the Pacers and he is averaging 34.4 minutes, 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Hill has played well overall this year, but they need all hands on the deck when the playoffs start.

The Pacers have getting rewarded for standing by troubled 22-year old shooting guard Lance Stephenson.  He had a lot of off the court issues that got him into some serious trouble in his first two years in the NBA, but the Pacers stood by him.  That has started to pay off this year for the Pacers.  Stephenson has played in 72 games (66 starts) for the Pacers so far this year and he is averaging 29.1 minutes, 8.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Stephenson has now played in 126 games (67 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.1 minutes, 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.  The Pacers hope that Stephenson keeps up the good work in the playoffs as they are going to need all of their hands on the deck.

24-year old rookie shooting guard Orlando Johnson has stepped up lately for the Pacers.  He played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Pacers in March and he averaged 15.5 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  Johnson has now played in 44 games (0 starts) overall this year and he is averaging 12.2 minutes, 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  Johnson is shooting 43.7% from the floor, 41.9% from the three point line and 73.3% from the free throw line so far this year, which isn’t too bad for a rookie.  The Pacers hope that Johnson keeps playing well, as the games are going to start getting bigger for them.

26-year old center Roy Hibbert has been rock solid so far this month for the Pacers.  He has played in 12 games (all starts) so far in March and he is averaging 29.9 minutes, 15.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 3.1 blocked shots per game.  Hibbert has now played in 69 games (all starts) overall so far this year and he is averaging 28.5 minutes, 10.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 2.7 blocked shots per game.  Hibbert has 16 double-doubles and 1 triple-double so far this year, but he should have more of these due to his skill set.  The Pacers could go deep into the playoffs in 2012-13, if Roy Hibbert is focused and motivated.

32-year old power forward David West has been excellent so far this year for the Pacers.  He has played in 65 games (all starts) for the Pacers so far this year and he is averaging 33.4 minutes, 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1 blocked shot per game.  He has really been hot since February 1st.  West has played in 19 games (all starts) since February 1st and he is averaging 32.8 minutes, 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  The Pacers hope West keeps up the good work as he is going to be a big key to their success in the playoffs in 2012-13.

39-year old head coach Frank Vogel is doing a great job for the Pacers once again.  The Pacers are 40-24 (62.5%) so far this year.  The Pacers are now 102-66 (60.7%) in the regular season in Vogel’s first three regular seasons on the job.  They are 7-9 (43.8%) in the playoffs so far on Vogel’s watch and they need to improve in that area.  But, that is also nitpicking, as Vogel has been rock solid so far in his career with the Pacers.

The Pacers didn’t play much D last night as the Heat shot 55.9% from the floor and it did them in.  David West led the way for the Pacers last night with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.  Roy Hibbert (16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists), D.J. Augustin (14 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 24 minutes) and Paul George (10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal on 2 of 11 shooting from the floor) also pitched in.  The Pacers fall to 39-24 on the year.

The Pacers shot an impressive 51.8% from the floor last night on their way to a very, very easy victory.  No starter played more than 28 minutes for the Pacers last night.  Paul George led the way for the Pacers with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.  Tyler Hansbrough (18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot in 20 minutes on the floor) and D.J. Augustin (14 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists in 26 minutes off the bench) also had rock solid games for the Pacers last night.  George Hill (11 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal), Roy Hibbert (10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 5 blocked shots) and Lance Stephenson (10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists) also pitched in for the Pacers last night.  The Pacers improve to 39-23 on the year.

The Pacers only shot 36.4% from the floor and they were outscored 25-13 in the 4th quarter as they collapsed big time earlier tonight.  Paul George only shot 7 of 22 from the floor, but he led the way for the Pacers with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot.  George Hill also had a rough night shooting the ball, hitting only 4 of 11 shots from the floor.  He finished up with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot.  Roy Hibbert (12 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocked shots), Lance Stephenson (12 points, 2 assists and 5 steals) and David West (11 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in for the Pacers in this game.  The Pacers fall to 38-23 on the year.