Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Get Caught Up In the Nightlife, Lose to Los Angeles Lakers
By Josh Padmore
Final. 108. 20. 96. 100
The Indiana Pacers suffered a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Good: Al Jefferson had 20 points in back-to-back games, which is good. Other than that, nothing really good came out of this one. Ugly loss for Indiana.
The Bad: Plenty. Another loss on the road, and another loss to a sub .500 team. Plus, they have the Utah Jazz waiting for them in Utah tomorrow night. The Jazz are a very tough team, especially at home. This is a game you just have to get.
MVP: The Lakers got a lot from everyone, but Lou Williams was the killer. He got to the foul line, as usual, and scored a game-high 27 points off the bench.
Los Angeles nightlife remains one of the NBA's toughest opponents.
— 8 Points, 9 Seconds (@8pts9secs) January 21, 2017
LVP: Jeff Teague had a rough outing. He had another turnover prone game (six), and shot just 3 of 9 from the field for 11 points. He definitely deserves a pass, though. He’s been playing terrific ball.
X-Factor: Nick Young. Hot and cold. He hit timely shots. All of Nick’s field goals were from three (five of them), and he finished with 15 points despite suffering an injury in the game.
C. Didn’t provide much effort tonight at all, but got his 21 points and 6 rebounds. The Pacers aren’t in good shape when they get this kind of production from their best player. He was also a -15, and got outplayed by rookie Brandon Ingram.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE
Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE. C-. Teague struggled again with turnovers (6), and couldn’t find his shot, shooting 3-9 from the field. Again, Teague deserves a pass.. Point Guard
Didn’t rebound well tonight (3), in a game in which the Pacers were killed on the glass, but at least he played with effort 100% of the time. He made some great defensive plays. Finished with 15 points on 6-12 shooting.. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. B-
C. Thad struggled tonight offensively, shooting 3-9 from the field for 9 points. He had 5 steals and 8 rebounds, though.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
C-. He had the best plus-minus of any starter tonight, but III missed some bunnies and again lost his minutes to Monta Ellis down the stretch.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III
C. Didn’t look for his shot at all, shooting just one field goal attempt — he missed it. Was great getting his teammates involved, especially Al Jefferson. Finished with 4 assists off the bench.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS
B+. Big Al did what he had to. He scored 20 points in the first half (finished with 20), and grabbed 6 rebounds in just 17 minutes. Al did his part.. Center. Indiana Pacers. AL JEFFERSON
Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES. C+. Hit a couple of three-pointers, including one in which he was fouled. Looked like he was getting hot, so maybe he can carry that momentum into Utah. Finished with 6 points off the bench.. Small Forward
Indiana Pacers. AARON BROOKS. C. Had a tough go, but at least he wasn’t a negative in the plus-minus category. Missed 3 free-throws in a row when he got fouled on a three-point attempt.. Point Guard
Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. KEVIN SERAPHIN. D+. Struggled tonight. It’ll be interesting to see if his spot in the rotation is safe. Lavoy Allen is a better fit at the four.