Post-Game Grades: Pacers grow 19-Point Lead then Hold On for Dear Life
By Tim Donahue
The Good: Through the first 26 minutes, the Pacers abused the second-worst defense in the league on their way to a 61-42 lead. Indiana was crisp and efficient, shooting almost 59%, while getting 19 assists against only 7 turnovers. Defensively, they held Minnesota to 42% shooting and scored 15 points off 10 turnovers.
The Pacers needed all of that to survive what comes next.
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- 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?
The Bad: The entire second half was hot garbage, but the 5-1/2 minute stretch that begun immediately after Indiana forged their largest lead was particularly egregious. The Timberwolves shot 54% and grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, while the Pacers went 1-for-7 and turned the ball over three times. The result was a 19-4 Minnesota run that made it a game.
The rest of the game was really just a showcase of two bad-to-mediocre teams playing sloppy basketball. Indiana’s decision making in the second half was especially loopy. Minnesota managed to hold a couple of one-point leads late, but the Pacers made a couple plays, while the T-Wolves made mistakes, and Indy eked out a win.
MVP: Donald Sloan. C.J. Miles and Roy Hibbert had a better lines, but I’m a big believer in tipping points. Sloan was responsible for the first 10 Pacer points of the final quarter – scoring the first eight himself, then assisting on a David West bucket. Eight of those points came after Indiana’s lead had dwindled to two, and the stretch was highlighted by Sloan simply outworking the Minnie players.
LVP: Disappointing return for C.J. Watson, seemingly a step slow, both physically and mentally.
X-Factor: Vogel switched up the big man rotations, pairing Hibbert more with Allen, and West with Scola. The West-Scola pairing was a big part of the the second quarter success, with the Pacers being +6 in 9 minutes with the two sharing the floor.
 | David West, PF 29 MIN | 7-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 14 PTS | +6Big bucket late, very efficient 7-for-9. |  |
Solomon Hill, SF 32 MIN | 2-5 FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 7 PTS | +2Struggled mightily to defend Muhammad, had some bad turnovers early.
Roy Hibbert, C 27 MIN | 6-11 FG | 3-4 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 4 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | -5Most effective game in some time, especially early
Rodney Stuckey, PG 27 MIN | 3-8 FG | 1-1 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | +8Honestly, didn’t notice him all that much.
C.J. Watson, PG 29 MIN | 3-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 7 PTS | -1Disappointing game…made some silly decisions – especially during MInnesota’s 19-4 run.
Lavoy Allen, PF 19 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | -2His activity on the floor always seems to be a positive.
Luis Scola, PF 21 MIN | 5-9 FG | 0-2 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +9Very active and successful pairing with David West tonight.
Damjan Rudez, SF 5 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | -3Non-factor
Donald Sloan, PG 19 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | +5Key to the win, good energy and play off the bench.
C.J. Miles, SG 32 MIN | 10-18 FG | 4-5 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 28 PTS | +1Great scoring night, very useful, now that he’s hitting shots.