Post-Game Grades: Paul George Scores 32 But Pacers Fall to Cleveland Cavaliers

The Good: The Indiana Pacers might actually be a playoff team considering they’ve beat the Miami Heat and now went toe-to-toe with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A few things bounce the Pacers way and we could be talking about a win streak over the East’s top talent. A loss is still a loss but there has to be more confidence that this team isn’t a broken mess of players.

The Bad: Giving up a pair of layups in the final minutes that allowed the Cavaliers to maintain their lead. They didn’t make Cleveland earn the points but as a credit to the Cavs they were able to break the pressure of the Pacers late in the game to set up those plays.

MVP: Paul George out dueled LeBron James with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists to LBJ’s 29 points, 6 rebounds and 4 points. PG had a clutch 3-pointer to keep the Pacers in striking distance but LeBron’s free throws with 5 seconds left sealed the victory.

LVP: Myles Turner and Glen Robinson III didn’t play defense very well in their limited minutes. Chalk it up to growing pains though.

X-Factor: PG vs LBJ might be the main attraction but Kevin Love’s 22 points and 19 rebounds, as well as two assists and 3 blocks quietly powered Cleveland’s win.

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