Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Suffer Embarrassing Loss to the New York Knicks
By Josh Padmore
27. 81. 100. Final. 87
Paul George and the Indiana Pacers suffered an embarrassing loss to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
The Good: Myles Turner had another good game, so hopefully he’s out of that shooting slump he was in. Other than that, nothing good came from this one. An ugly performance from the Indiana Pacers.
The Bad: It’s hard to imagine Paul George once envisioned this team potentially averaging 115 points per game. They scored less than 30 points in the second half, and finished the game with 79.
MVP: Carmelo Anthony started slow, but like all stars, finished strong. He made shot after shot in the fourth quarter and finished with a game high 22 points.
LVP: Jeff Teague had a very sloppy night. He shot 4 of 15 from the field for 9 points. He had 7 rebounds and 6 assists, but he also turned the ball over 7 times. A game to forget for Teague.
X-Factor: Willy Hernangomez played huge for the Knicks. He was a monster on the glass, grabbing 16 rebounds. He also had 13 points.
Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE. C+. George scored 22 points, but he wasn’t really there for his team down the stretch. Carmelo Anthony got anything he wanted in the 4th quarter when George was guarding him. He added 10 rebounds and 6 turnovers.. Small Forward
C-. Teague had 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but he shot just 4 of 15 from the field for 9 points. He also turned it over 7 times. This was a rough one for Jeff.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE
A-. Was Indiana’s best player tonight. He shot 8 of 17 from the field for 17 points and 12 rebounds. He also blocked 3 shots. He clearly won the battle against Knicks’ center Kristaps Porzingis. It wasn’t enough for his team, though.. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
His stats weren’t great, but Thad played hard. He was on the floor diving for loose balls and was the only starter who didn’t have a negative plus-minus. Thad recorded 4 points and 6 rebounds.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. B-
C-. Couldn’t knock down shots tonight, finishing just 2 of 9 from the field and 2 of 8 from deep. He finished with 6 points in 25 minutes.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
Looked very hot early, but his shot wasn’t falling after the hot start. Scored 9 points off the bench on 4 of 10 shooting, and also added 3 steals.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS. C+
C+. Only shot 1 of 6 from the field, but really was the only Pacers player attacking the rim and looking to get free-throws. Shot 6 free-throws on the night. The next highest player in free-throws attempted was Rakeem Christmas and Myles Turner with 2 each.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. RODNEY STUCKEY
Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III. C. Didn’t see too much minutes (11), so couldn’t impact the game too much. Scored 4 points and knocked down 1 three-pointer.. Small Forward
B-. Saw the backup five minutes once again, playing 17 minutes. He only scored 2 points, but he was active on the glass, grabbing 6 rebounds. He played hard.. Center. Indiana Pacers. RAKEEM CHRISTMAS
Indiana Pacers. KEVIN SERAPHIN. INC. Played 6 minutes in the first half as the backup power forward, but didn’t play after that. For what it’s worth, he didn’t play bad in those 6 minutes. He had 2 points and even grabbed an offensive rebound off of a missed free-throw.. Power Forward