Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Defeat Detroit Pistons, Grab Momentum Heading Home
By Josh Padmore
64. 105. 100. Final. 90
The Indiana Pacers secured a solid road win over the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
The Good: Rebounding has been a big problem for the Pacers this season, but they handled the boards tonight. They out-rebounded Detroit by 11. The Pacers also became the first team this season to score 100+ on the Pistons in The Palace of Auburn Hills. Indiana now can head home with so momentum.
The Bad: Nothing bad comes to mind about the Pacers performance tonight. They played with pace, they played with energy, and they played solid defense. They were down early, but showed resiliency and took the lead and never looked back.
MVP: Jeff Teague was in control since the very beginning of this game. The Pistons couldn’t guard him and he flirted with a triple-double tonight. Teague finished with 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.
LVP: Marcus Morris hit some shots tonight, shooting 4 of 7 from the field, but he didn’t do much of anything else. He only recorded 1 rebound and 1 assist. He didn’t play great defense on Paul George, either. Nor did he try fighting PG.
No one's getting between Paul George and the basket!#INDvsDET is on FSI and FSGO now. #GoPacers pic.twitter.com/rLBvdfSWIO
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) December 18, 2016
X-Factor: Paul George led the Pacers in scoring tonight with 26. Teague had his fingerprints all over this one, but the Pacers wouldn’t have blown the game open if it weren’t for Paul. He shot 11 of 21 from the field and added 7 rebounds.
PAUL GEORGE. A. George played like the star he is tonight. He recorded 26 points on 11 of 21 shooting and added 7 rebounds. Every time the Pistons scored, George and the Pacers had an answer.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers
B-. Turner wasn’t very involved in the offense tonight, as he got up just 7 shots. He finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. He did a great job of making sure Andre Drummond didn’t bully him inside.. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
A+. Teague was superb and he was the catalyst for this Pacers win. He almost triple-doubled, recording 19 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. The lone negative about his performance was his 4 turnovers. Teague also shot an efficient 6-10 from the field.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE
Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. B+. Thad was very productive offensively tonight. He only got 8 shot ups, but he made 6 of those shots. He looked great in the post finishing with his left hand.
Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III. B+. Glenn grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds tonight. He also added 12 points. He did exactly what the Pacers want him to do when he starts next to Paul George. Provide energy, play defense, and hit some shots here and there. III did all three tonight.
B-. Miles struggled with his shot until the fourth quarter came around. He added two more three-pointers to his season total, posting 10 points and 3 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
B. Al struggled with his shot tonight, shooting 3 of 10 from the field, but he had a good impact on this game. He didn’t have much defensive lapses at all and rebounded the ball well, grabbing 9 boards in 17 minutes. He added 8 points.. Center. Indiana Pacers. AL JEFFERSON
Brooks did what he typically does. Got some shots up (3-7 shooting) for 6 points and 3 assists in 17 minutes off the bench.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. AARON BROOKS. C+
LAVOY ALLEN. C. Lavoy had a tough match-up tonight when he played, guarding Marcus Morris at the four. Allen held his own, though. He only played 9 minutes and grabbed 2 rebounds.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers