The San Antonio Spurs broke the Indiana Pacers’ hearts by winning a close one off of Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning field goal.
The Good: The Pacers were in prime position to win the game. They played a great game against one of the best teams in basketball, on the road at that. Play with that effort on the road and you’ll win more often than you’ll lose.
The Bad: The Pacers lost, which stings. Paul George couldn’t break out of his slump, as he shot just 5 of 18 from the field. He just can’t get it going.
MVP: Kawhi Leonard is the MVP of this game, and he may be the MVP of the entire league by the time the season is over. He made the game-winning shot and finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
LVP: Thaddeus Young only played 11 minutes in this game, and was benched down the stretch in favor of Lavoy Allen. Didn’t look right tonight, and even missed a wide open layup at one point.
X-Factor: David Lee came off the bench for the Spurs and didn’t miss a single shot, shooting 8 of 8 from the field for 18 points in 20 minutes.
PAUL GEORGE
Small Forward | Indiana Pacers
C+
George led the team in scoring with 22, but it took him 18 shots to do it. He only made 5 of them. He did get to the foul line, though, making all 10 of his foul shots. He added 6 rebounds.
JEFF TEAGUE
Point Guard | Indiana Pacers
B-
Only took 6 shots, making 2 of them, but he did finish with 5 rebounds and 9 assists. He was also very careful with the basketball, turning it over only 1 time in 30 minutes.
MYLES TURNER
Center | Indiana Pacers
A-
Was very efficient, shooting 7 of 11 from the field for 16 points and 6 rebounds. Also made some very timely baskets in the fourth quarter.
THADDEUS YOUNG
Power Forward | Indiana Pacers
D
This was a rough game for Thad, who only played 11 minutes. He was benched down the stretch in favor of Lavoy Allen. Only finished with 4 points and 2 rebounds.
C.J. MILES
Shooting Guard | Indiana Pacers
A-
Scored 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, also making 4 three pointers. He also passed Troy Murphy for 7th all time for threes made in franchise history.
MONTA ELLIS
Shooting Guard | Indiana Pacers
C+
Had a good game, but missed 2 free throws when the Pacers were up by 1 in the final seconds. Finished with 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting.
RODNEY STUCKEY
Shooting Guard | Indiana Pacers
C-
Coming off of a big game in Houston, Stuckey couldn’t carry his momentum into San Antonio. He went scoreless, but did have 3 assists in 17 minutes off the bench.
LAVOY ALLEN
Power Forward | Indiana Pacers
C+
Played 19 big minutes for the Pacers. Did his usual stuff, keeping possessions alive and making the right play. Scored 5 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
GLENN ROBINSON III
Small Forward | Indiana Pacers
B-
Brought a lot of energy off the bench, and also showed off his hops with a big slam dunk. Scored 6 points on an efficient 3 of 4 shooting in 16 minutes.
RAKEEM CHRISTMAS
Center | Indiana Pacers
D
Had his first bad game since entering the rotation. Picked up 4 fouls in 13 minutes of action and made some ‘rookie’ mistakes. Scored 1 point and grabbed 1 rebound.
KEVIN SERAPHIN
Power Forward | Indiana Pacers
C+
Got some surprising run tonight, playing 14 minutes. He was a big energy boost, scoring 8 points on 4 of 4 shooting and grabbing 3 rebounds. Also made his physical presence felt.
Indiana Pacers
San Antonio Spurs