The Indiana Pacers losing streak is now at three as the Sacramento Kings came into Bankers Life Fieldhouse and defeated the Indiana Pacers 108-106.
The Good: C.J. Miles, Monta Ellis, and George Hill all had 20 points or more each. Right after we wrote about the lack of an Aggressive George Hill™, he was 7 of 14 on the night with 20 points. While some of his struggles have been due to finding his fit in the Indiana offense, a lack of aggressiveness also played a part in his struggles. Seeing him shoot early and often (and decent from deep as he went 4 of 10) was refreshing after a month long slump.
The Bad: Hello sluggish start my old friend, we’ve come to expect you again. Because the lead softly creeping, left its seeds while Indiana was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains. Outscored 64-48 in the first half.
This is why they are getting closer to a .500 record as they are now 16-12.
MVP: DeMarcus Cousins 25 points and 15 rebounds overshadow anything any one Pacer did, though the three listed under the Good, and Jordan Hill (see below) showed up to play.
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- 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: Paul George had 12 points, 10 rebounds. That’s fine for most players, but not for PG. His hot start has cooled off completely but going into the night he still was 5th in the league in scoring with 27.2 points a game. He missed the potential game-tying shot, but that’s not why he’s the LVP. As the franchise player, you get judged harshly in my mind, even for inevitable slumps. He’ll bounce back soon enough, but he’s in a bit of a slump as of late.
To his credit though he cut down on the turnovers that have plagued him lately, committing only three.
X-Factor: Jordan Hill had 14 points and 5 rebounds. Not his best night by any means, but he also had several tips that became offensive rebounds for Indiana. Coming in to tonight he’s 11th in offensive rebounds and 5th in offensive rebound percentage. He’s earning his keep.