Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Evenhandedly Take Down Orlando Magic

The Indiana Pacers didn’t need 30+ points from Paul George to beat the Orlando Magic as they elected a more evenhanded approach.

The Good: It wasn’t a night where the Indiana Pacers needed someone (Paul George in particular) to come to their rescue. Indiana relied on everyone at times, as 9 of their 10 players had between 6 and 16 points.

That team-high 16 points came from C.J. Miles.

While the Pacers can’t rely on Miles to go 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 on 3-pointers every night, he led the way in Orlando with 16 points.

While he was near perfect, Glenn Robinson actually was. His 14 points came on 5 of 5 shooting from the field, 2 of 2 beyond the arc, and 2 of 2 from the foul line.

Even though the Pacers didn’t demolish the lesser Magic, they took the lead early and averaged a 7-point lead seemingly the entire time.

The Bad: Maybe bad is a little strong, but you’d like the core of Paul George and Myles Turner to do a bit more. Perhaps Frank Vogel knew how to slow down the Pacers better than anyone else, but you want more from those two.

MVP: As mentioned above, it was C.J. Miles that led the way with 16 points, and he earns the MVP thanks to his near-perfect evening. He has produced as a starter and as a role player this season, making life for coach Nate McMillan just a little easier.

LVP: Monta Ellis was the only scoreless Pacer, but he had four assists and two rebounds, so he found other ways to help.

That said…

X-Factor: Glenn Robinson III needs more nights like tonight. He hasn’t been the same coming off the bench as a starter (just like we saw to start the season), but night’s like tonight show the potential of a sixth man. 14 points and 7 rebounds for Robinson, and hopefully there are more games like this in his future.