The Indiana Pacers suffered an ugly loss at home to the Phoenix Suns during the first Hickory game of the season.
The Good: The Pacers got some good work from Myles Turner and were able to get rookie Georges Niang some good run. It’s always good getting that experience early on so you can contribute more in the future. The Pacers made a nice run in the third quarter, but they couldn’t sustain that effort.
The Bad: After two excellent defensive outings, the Pacers allowed 116 points and got out rebounded by 11. They really missed Paul George and it wasn’t good at all to see C.J. Miles go down with a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the game.
MVP: Jared Dudley. He’s been playing great since moving to Phoenix’s bench. He tallied 16 points on 6-10 shooting and 2-4 shooting from deep. He added 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Also recorded a game-high +25 plus-minus. Was a nightmare cover for the Pacers tonight.
LVP: Monta Ellis. Ellis really struggled with his shot tonight, making just 2 of his 10 attempts. Only scored 9 points in 33 minutes. He, like most of the Pacers’ team, didn’t communicate on the defensive end and it cost them.
X-Factor: Alan Williams. Williams killed the Pacers on the glass and he kept so many possessions alive for the Suns. He got under everybody’s skin. Williams finished the game with a huge 15 points and 15 rebounds in just 25 minutes of action.