The Indiana Pacers didn’t need 30+ points from Paul George to beat the Orlando Magic as they elected a more evenhanded approach.
The Good: It wasn’t a night where the Indiana Pacers needed someone (Paul George in particular) to come to their rescue. Indiana relied on everyone at times, as 9 of their 10 players had between 6 and 16 points.
That team-high 16 points came from C.J. Miles.
While the Pacers can’t rely on Miles to go 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 on 3-pointers every night, he led the way in Orlando with 16 points.
C.J. Miles after @Pacers beat Magic: "Believing in everything. ... Everybody is just out to do the right thing." #GoPacers pic.twitter.com/2Qr0VDmpA1
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) February 2, 2017
While he was near perfect, Glenn Robinson actually was. His 14 points came on 5 of 5 shooting from the field, 2 of 2 beyond the arc, and 2 of 2 from the foul line.
Even though the Pacers didn’t demolish the lesser Magic, they took the lead early and averaged a 7-point lead seemingly the entire time.
The Bad: Maybe bad is a little strong, but you’d like the core of Paul George and Myles Turner to do a bit more. Perhaps Frank Vogel knew how to slow down the Pacers better than anyone else, but you want more from those two.
MVP: As mentioned above, it was C.J. Miles that led the way with 16 points, and he earns the MVP thanks to his near-perfect evening. He has produced as a starter and as a role player this season, making life for coach Nate McMillan just a little easier.
LVP: Monta Ellis was the only scoreless Pacer, but he had four assists and two rebounds, so he found other ways to help.
That said…
So you're telling me Monta got lost off the ball huh? pic.twitter.com/kDDQEfdf5L
— Nilla Nillanovic (@JayNilla) February 2, 2017
X-Factor: Glenn Robinson III needs more nights like tonight. He hasn’t been the same coming off the bench as a starter (just like we saw to start the season), but night’s like tonight show the potential of a sixth man. 14 points and 7 rebounds for Robinson, and hopefully there are more games like this in his future.