The Indiana Pacers hang tough in D.C. behind Paul George’s 31 points, but eventually fall to John Wall and the Wizards.
The Good: This game was fine overall.
The Pacers led or were close the entire game, on the road against a Wizards team that has been playing extremely well. They came up short, but it was a hard-fought game that was mostly bereft of any utter breakdowns like the Pacers have seen all season.
The Bad: The Pacers gave up 28 and 10 to Markieff Morris. Lavoy Allen and Kevin Seraphin both had good offensive games, but the Pacers needed Thad Young’s combination of size and speed here, and just didn’t get it.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
At least Ian Mahinmi didn’t have a revenge game.
MVP: Paul George.
Quietest 31 points I think I’ve ever seen. Really would’ve liked to see him with more success against smalls, but Wall and Beal seemed unafraid of him in the post.
LVP: C.J. Miles.
Yikes, CJ. He’s always been a streaky player, and was hot against Cleveland, but was not good tonight. Had no buckets until hitting a 3 when the game was out of reach.
X-Factor: Rebounds.
The Wizards only outrebounded the Pacers by 4, but Marcin Gortat and and Markieff Morris alone had more rebounds than all 5 Pacers starters.
Next: Myles Turner is Stepping Up as a Leader
Final Notes: Every Pacers starter finished at least -13 in +/-, and every bench guy finished at least +10. Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris combined for 40 points and 26 rebounds, against the Pacers Myles Turner and Lavoy Allen, who combined for 20 points and 12 rebounds.