Post-Game Grades: Memphis Grizzlies Pull Away Late From Indiana Pacers
By Ben Gibson
100. 112. 211. Final. 103
The Good: One fear of the Indiana Pacers going to a small ball approach was whether they could make enough 3-pointers to make it work. That hasn’t been an issue as through two games Indiana is shooting 39.6% from beyond the arc. C.J. Miles and George Hill were at it again as they combined for to make 50% of their attempts against Memphis. George Hill in particular has favored the corners where he’s made 6 of 7 attempts this season.
The Bad: The Pacers have shown an inability to finish through two games. After a slow start the Pacers rallied to within a point at halftime. They kept it going in the third quarter and came close to taking a double-digit lead. But in the fourth period their defense fell apart and the offense wasn’t doing enough to keep up with the Grizzlies. The Pacers defensive rating was 155.5 in the fourth quarter thanks to the Grizzlies 71.4% field goal percentage.
MVP: C.J. Miles has been a reliable outside shooting threat through two games and on Thursday he was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Small sample size, but so far he’s shooting 57.1% from 3-point range.
LVP: Jordan Hill didn’t play well, but wasn’t nearly as much of a disaster as Wednesday against the Raptors. He doesn’t look like he’s on the same page so far as the rest of the team. Hopefully as the season continues that’s less of an issue.
X-Factor: Myles Turner made his debut and showed a glimmer of the potential Larry Bird saw when he took him with the 11th pick. He had some mistakes defensively but he was 4 of 6 shooting and wasn’t afraid to launch those shots from a distance. He also had 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in his 18 minutes of play. According to Tim Donahue, Frank Vogel sees him as the backup center and eventually should be seeing 20 minutes a game in that role.
The 19-year-old still has plenty to work on but he did well enough in his first NBA game to creating excitement when he’s on the court.
Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE. C. <p>Another poor shooting night for PG at 33.3% but he was able to knock down a pair of 3-pointers after going 0 of 4 on against the Raptors. He spent much of the game complaining to referees and was out of sync but you have to expect some issues here and there as he and this team begins to refine itself. He had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.</p>. Power Forward
C. <p>Monta Ellis was 3 of 12 shooting and didn’t get to the foul line often enough either. He did show some flashes of defensive IQ by picking up a charging call but ultimately he was non-factor in the game.</p><p><span style=. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS
Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. GEORGE HILL. B. <p>George Hill continued to shoot well from range (3 of 8) and was the team’s leading scorer with 20 points as well as 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He went to the line several times and displayed his aggressiveness but unfortunately he only made 3 2-pointers on the night.</p>
Center. Indiana Pacers. IAN MAHINMI. A. <p>Ian Mahinmi was the Pacers leading scorer at half-time with nine points. In the second half he did a drive and kick for what could have been a George Hill 3-pointers had Hill not stepped put of bounds. Mahinmi made 5 of his 7 attempts and scored 11 points. So far he’s went from offensive liability to being a reliable scorer. He knows when and where to take his shots and doesn’t waste his chances. He had nine rebounds and was just shy of a double-double for the second night in a row.</p>
JORDAN HILL. C-. <p>Not terrible. Not good either.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers
Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES. A. <p>333333.J. Miles made 66.6% of his 3-point attempts and had 18 points in the game. He wasn’t afraid to go against some of the bigger players Memphis sent his way as well.</p>
<p>Rodney Stuckey forced himself into the lane and created a pair of 3-point play chances when he picked up the foul. He as 4 of 6 shooting and had 9 points in his 26 minutes on the court. He turned the ball over 3 times but that didn’t stop him from being a positive on the night.</p>. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. RODNEY STUCKEY. B
Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. A. <p>Myles Turner had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist in his debut while showing his shooting range as well. He was aggressive and brought plenty of energy when he was on the court as he looked comfortable in his first game. He had a few mistakes but for a 18 minute rookie debut there is little to complain about.</p>
C. <p>Lavoy Allen and 1 rebounds and 1 assists in 7 minutes of play.</p>. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN
Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. CHASE BUDINGER. B. <p>Chase Budinger looked much better in his second game with the Pacers and was part of the team’s 3-point shooting success by making 2 of his 3 attempts. He had 3 assists and 1 steal as well.</p>