Myles Turner has career night vs New Orleans Pelicans: 'When he does that, we're such a better team'

Turner put up 37 points and 12 rebounds in a win over the Pelicans.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is known for his outside shooting at the center posiition. In the past, some of his biggest statistical performances have come as a result of tremendous three-point accuracy.

But earlier in his career, the Texas product was more of an interior-minded big man, and he reminded many that he can still be a force around the rim on Monday night when the Pacers took down the New Orleans Pelicans.

Turner dropped in 37 points that evening, the second-best scoring night of his career. He hit seven two-point shots, and all of them came from in the paint. The big man drew several fouls and attempted 11 free throws, a number he has only exceeded four times in his career. Turner was terrific on offense against New Orleans, and he did it by dominating on the inside.

"I think it's just making the reads. A lot of teams are coming to switch and as much as I love shooting threes, with my frame I've got to get down there and mix it up from time to time," the eight-year veteran said of his efforts inside the arc.

Turner scored two buckets right at the rim in the first four minutes of the game, which set the tone for his night. There is a strong emphasis on having Turner roll to the basket more often after screening instead of having the big man pop out behind the three-point line, and against the Pelicans' switching scheme, that led to easy looks at the cup.

In the fourth quarter, it was much of the same for the 2015 lottery pick. Herb Jones kept ending up on Turner, and the Pacer kept making the younger wing pay — Turner finished the fourth quarter with eight points and didn't even attempt a three-point shot. The starting center played with force in a way that he doesn't always do on the inside, and it led to a huge night.

"Just roll in the post and we'll throw it in there," point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of his message to Turner during the fourth quarter. He joked to the big man during the frame that he was hoping to get him to 40 points. Haliburton had 13 assists in the game with four of them going to Turner.

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Turner played one of the most complete offensive games of his career, and the finishing and dominance in the paint was noteworthy. But he still showed off his long-range shooting by canning four out of his seven three-point attempts. His high-arcing jumper was falling, which made it even more difficult for the Pelicans to defend Turner.

Indiana's starting center had 19 points and eight rebounds at halftime, which were both above his season averages at the time. After Monday night, he's now up to 18.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the 2022-23 season. Both of those numbers would be career-best marks, though it has only been five games for the 26-year old.

Such a small sample is heavily influenced by one huge outing, but Turner has started to look more comfortable playing the five on offense, something he wasn't doing in recent seasons when he slotted in the frontcourt next to Domantas Sabonis. That comfort was the most noticeable during his career game on Monday, when he looked confident and determined. He punished New Orleans.

"It's definitely up there," Turner said when asked to rank his performance among the best games of his career. "My biggest thing is just trying to stay healthy and keep my rhythm going. I think that it's early in the season, it's nice to see success. Bigger picture, right now, it's a great individual performance tonight and great team performance. All eyes forward."

Turner said he felt like he hit a rhythm early in the game when he was running the floor hard in transition. Flying up and down the open court can often get players engaged in a game, and in Turner's case, his darts up the hardwood for offense were met with passes, and points. He was locked in the rest of the night.

When asked if there was a specific moment that he knew he was feeling it Monday night, Turner said, "I always feel like I'm on."

That confidence and swagger shined in Gainbridge Fieldhouse earlier this week as Myles Turner put up one of his best performances of the season. If he can continue to be a weapon against fronting defenses and switching schemes, opposing teams will have to rethink their game plan for defending the blue and gold. But that could take a few more successful games.

"When he does that, we're such a better team," guard T.J. McConnell said of Turner and his aggressiveness on the inside. Indiana is 7-5 throughout Turner's career when he scores more than 25 points, and when he puts up those numbers with a varied, balanced attack like he did on Monday night in one of his best games ever, his team becomes incredibly hard to guard.

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