Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Come Up Short Against Toronto Raptors
By Ben Gibson
100. 106. 81. Final. 99
The Good: The Pacers had more fast break points (12) in the first half than their season average from last year (9). The Pacers ended the game with 20 transition points. The fast break helped Indiana score 30+ points in both the first and fourth quarter. Compare that to last season when the Pacers had 52 quarters with 30+ points.
In the first half the Pacers looked exactly how you hope a small ball would be: fast breaks, attacking the basket and keeping the other team in check with a near constant attack when they had the ball.
The Bad: After dominating the first half and taking a 16 point lead the Pacers offense went cold while the Raptors went on a 27-8 run. Indiana finished strong but it was too little, too late as Luis Scola and company walked away with the win.
MVP: Aggressive George Hill™, or at least not passive George Hill played both the creator and the shooter at different points in the game. He knocked down 5 3-pointers on the night and led the team with 19 points. Down the stretch Monta Ellis took over more of the ball handling but Hill made his mark without the ball in his hands.
LVP: Jordan Hill started off the game the right way but as time wore on his 2 of 7 shooting and allowing too many Raptors rebounds cost Indiana several points. He might have seen less time but Ian Mahinmi (who played well and was close to a double-double) fouled out and forced Frank Vogel to play Jordan Hill more than he wanted. As Will Furr said in our game chat, Jordan Hill was “actively harmful”.
X-Factor: Ian Mahinmi may have fouled out but he ended the game with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. If he has a pulse on offense this year I will be happy.
B. <p>Paul George struggled to find his shot (4 of 17, 0 of 4 from 3-point) but he found other ways to contribute. He had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists and played defense well when he wasn’t slipping on the Raptors strangely slick court. The poor shooting isn’t a real concern as everyone is going to have bad nights and it turned out PG’s was on opening night. However the poor shooting throughout the game might have tipped things in favor of the Raptors so I can only give him a B despite being two assists away from a triple-double.</p>. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE
Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS. C. <p>Early foul trouble messed up the Indiana Pacers rotations and Ellis ended up playing point with the second unit in a role similar to Lance Stephenson two seasons ago. 3 of 11 shooting combined with as many turnovers as assists didn’t make for the best debut but he picked up two steals and didn’t seem to be a defensive liability. To his credit his drives to the basket helped open up the court for Indiana and one would hope that continues going forward.</p><p><span style=
A-. <p>George Hill had 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block along with two turnovers. Though he wasn’t always the primary ball handler he didn’t get passive and made his biggest impact by knocking down 5 3-pointers.</p>. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. GEORGE HILL
B. <p>This sounds really strange to say but Ian Mahinmi wasn’t an offensive liability on Wednesday night. He picked his shots well going 5 of 8 and ended the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds along with two blocks. Mahinmi did slightly better than expected other than fouling out. If Mahinmi can play like this night to night Indiana should be safe at the starting center position.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers. IAN MAHINMI
B. <p>3.J. Miles lived up to his name by making 4 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc. His shooting from within the arc wasn’t the best but he did his part to be the kickout man on offense. Like all of the starters he had a slightly negative +/- on the night but he wasn’t playing matador defense either.</p>. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
A. <p>We didn’t get Godney Stuckey but he was aggressive coming off the bench for 16 points while taking three trips to the foul line. He was the only player to break even in the +/- department. He played his roll perfectly as the spark coming off end bench.</p>. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. RODNEY STUCKEY
D-. <p>Boo this man. Things started off well enough but as the game wore on he became a liability with his inability to score. He had several rebounding opportunities where he looked to have a chance of grabbing the ball but too often the Raptors extended offensive possessions while he was on the court.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers. JORDAN HILL
C. <p>12 minutes of existence with 2 points and 2 rebounds to show for his efforts.</p>. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN
D. <p>He played but not well. 0 of 4 shooting with 2 rebounds and 1 assist.</p>. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. CHASE BUDINGER
Indiana Pacers. JOE YOUNG. ?. <p>Only played two minutes and made a pair of rookie mistakes.</p>. Point Guard