The Indiana Pacers slog their way to third straight win behind big fourth quarter led by Jordan Hill.
The Good: The Bench and the defense in the first and fourth quarters were key as the Pacers picked up a much-needed win before heading out for two tough games at Memphis and at San Antonio. The defense was excellent in the first (18 points allowed) and the fourth quarter (20 points). With the Pacers in trouble – trailing by as many as seven points – Jordan Hill scored 10 points in the final period to help get the Pacers home.
The Bad: The Pacers were outscored 59-49 over the middle two periods. The Nets – who entered the team with the third worst offensive efficiency in the league – scored 121 points per hundred and generally looked to be the aggressor.
MVP: Jordan Hill scored 10 of his 14 points in a fourth quarter that the Pacers won 32-20. Provided some “ahhhhhs” with a killer dunk over Bojan Bogdanovic.
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?
LVP: Monta Ellis was only 1-for-8 on the night and was generally a non-factor.
X-Factor: It’s difficult to tell whether this had much effect tonight, but the continuing issue the Pacers, in general – and Paul George, specifically – are having with the officials is a problem. That their complaints are occasionally valid is totally washed away by their constant and indiscriminate nature. George is tied for the league league in Technical Fouls and likely picked up a second fine for some comments he made on the postgame show.
This has been discussed before. Over the last few years, Indiana has developed a reputation throughout the league of whining. At best, this does them no good. At worst, it hurts them, because they are always crying wolf.