The Indiana Pacers showcased their most complete game of the year against a Los Angeles Clippers team that has proved to be one of the league’s best this early in the season.
The Good: Rock solid defense. The Indiana Pacers imposed their will defensively and held the Clippers to their lowest scoring total in the Doc Rivers era (40 points below their 110 PPG scoring average). They forced the Clippers into 20 turnovers and 31% shooting. Surprisingly, the Pacers also dominated points in the paint (42-14) while shooting 20 fewer free throws.
This was a much-needed win to get back to .500 as a tough 5-game Western Conference road trip looms.
The Bad: The Pacers shot only 26% from three point range (5-19), but you can live with it when you hold your opponent to 16% shooting from three.
MVP: Al Jefferson. He was needed early against the difficult frontcourt of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Myles Turner quickly got into foul trouble and Al did not disappoint as his replacement. He’s becoming a key mentor to Myles (even referring to himself as the “Uncle”) and is finally finding his groove on offense to give the bench a much-needed boost.
Al Jefferson joked that the hustle play where he saved the ball and called timeout "got everybody excited but I'm still hurting from it." https://t.co/eWklreFvz5
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) November 28, 2016
LVP: J.J. Reddick. He shot 1-7 from the field (14%) and never found his rhythm.
X-Factor: Glenn Robinson III. The most improved Pacer by far over last year. He has proved to be more than capable to replace Paul George in the starting lineup and looks extremely comfortable in the flow of the offense.
"I'm not surprising myself, but I think I'm surprising a lot of people." @GRIII https://t.co/uPu4eUSqM0
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) November 28, 2016
Robinson III is on track right now to be the team’s biggest surprise this season.