Deer Sear: Indiana Pacers Cooked by Milwaukee Bucks
By Ryan Eggers
89. 107. 100. Final. 125
The Indiana Pacers dropped their second divisional game of the year as they lost big to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Good: Jeff Teague seems to be getting some offense back. C.J. Miles looks like the definitive leader off the bench and someone that should be able to provide points night in and night out. Not much else for the Indiana Pacers in the 125-107 loss.
The Bad: The Pacers were grossly outrebounded and somehow got beat in the 3-point category by the Bucks. Ever since opening night, the Pacers haven’t had a game where all five starters have had a productive evening. The bench still looks awful outside of Miles. Al Jefferson isn’t clicking with any unit.
MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo. Put up a full statline of 24-9-7 and the Pacers couldn’t stop his drives to the paint in the second half. This will be a long season series if the Pacers (Paul George) don’t figure out how to slow down his offense.
LVP: Al Jefferson. Another night, another uneventful game. Was relied on heavily in the third quarter due to Myles Turner foul trouble but couldn’t make anything happen. 5 points on 1-8 shooting.
X-Factor: Jabari Parker. Dude went off and the Pacers simply had no answer all night. Unexpectedly shot 4-6 from beyond the arc despite being a 25% career 3-point shooter. 27-8 in 3 minutes and was right there with Antetokounmpo leading the charge.
He wasn’t too bad. Shot well from the 3-point line, including a few important shots when the game was still up in the air. 6 turnovers is not ideal.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE. B-
Could’ve been a lot more aggressive, but didn’t actively harm the team. Put up a sweet 10 assists, but that’s not supposed to be his job anymore with Teague on the team.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS. B-
Seemed as if he had gotten his shot back early in the game, but was awful in the second half. Was aggressive enough to get 7 points from the free-throw line. Had a decent 6 assists, but had 4 turnovers and blew a few more possessions that didn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet as turnovers.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE. C-
MYLES TURNER. C-. Had a good game offensively, but was absolutely punished by the Bucks’ big men. Got into foul trouble, and had 2 rebounds on the game. 2.. Center. Indiana Pacers
Wasn’t bad, but needs to do more. His output wasn’t negative, but it wasn’t positive enough to cut it.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. C
A. Only reason to be excited about the bench at this point. Shot great from three and otherwise, and put up a cool 19 points in 24 minutes. Note: Young was taken out mid-fourth in favor of Miles at the 4.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
AL JEFFERSON. D. Has not had a good start to the year. Needed him when Turner got into foul trouble, he didn’t deliver. Did lead the team in rebounds with 7 (next highest was 4).. Center. Indiana Pacers
C. The king of just being there on the floor.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN
Indiana Pacers. AARON BROOKS. B-. Proved he can provide offense and three-point shooting off the bench, but made a lot of silly mistakes and somehow ended up with 5 fouls before he had logged 10 minutes on the court.. Point Guard
C-. Didn’t get as much time off the bench as he’s accustomed to, and made nothing happen during his time on the floor tonight.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III
C. Jury’s still out on this guy. Didn’t make much of an impact during his time tonight though.. Center. Indiana Pacers. KEVIN SERAPHIN