Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Come From Behind to Beat Sacramento Kings
By Josh Padmore
84. 106. 100. Final. 100
The Indiana Pacers gutted out a win in Sacramento against the Sacramento Kings despite trailing by double-digits in the second half.
The Good: First off, congratulations to Coach Nate McMillan on his 500th career coaching win, and 22nd with the Indiana Pacers.
Everything in the second half was a positive for the Indiana Pacers. The defense was there, the grit was there, and the energy was there.
Huge road win for the Pacers, who are now 6-14 away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Bad: The Pacers were bad in the first half, down by as much as 22. They made up for it, though. Absolutely nothing was bad for the Pacers in the second half.
MVP: Tough to choose from, but Myles Turner was unbelievable against DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins didn’t make a single field goal in the second half. Myles Turner’s defense was a huge part of that. Turner finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds.
LVP: Glenn Robinson III was ineffective tonight as the starting shooting guard. Growing pains are expected, though.
He’s still a plus for the starters, though.
X-Factor: Al Jefferson brought the Pacers back with his instant offense on the bench. He got buckets in the post, finishing with a season-high 20 points in just 16 minutes of action.
PAUL GEORGE. B+. Had a sluggish first half, but finished strong. PG recorded 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers
Also was sluggish in the first half, but dominated the second half. Controlled everything for the Pacers. Finished with 22 points on 5-6 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE. A
A. He’s at a serious disadvantage muscle wise, but Myles Turner did an awesome job on Cousins tonight. Cousins’ only second half points were from the foul line. Turner finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds.. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
B+. DeMarcus Cousins had a good game, but Thaddeus Young did all he could on the defensive end. That’s a tough assignment for anyone, but he did a great job. He also finished with 8 points and 4 rebounds.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
III wasn’t good tonight, and Monta Ellis took his minutes in the fourth. Glenn finished with 2 points in 19 minutes.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III. D+
B-. Only shot 1-6 from the field, but played some huge minutes in the 4th quarter to help the Pacers get the win. He finished with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS
Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES. B. Shot 3-8 from the field and 2-6 from three, and played big minutes in the fourth quarter. Scored 9 points in 21 minutes. The most impressive stat for C.J. was his monster +23 plus-minus.. Small Forward
A. Big Al dropped a season high 20 points in just 16 minutes. He got bucket after bucket and got the Pacers in the position to get the comeback road win.. Center. Indiana Pacers. AL JEFFERSON
Only played 14 minutes, knocking down one three-pointer for 3 points. Was a +2 on the court.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. AARON BROOKS. C
KEVIN SERAPHIN. D. Had a rough one tonight, going scoreless and only grabbing 1 rebound in 6 minutes.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers