Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Turn Down the Miami Heat
By Ben Gibson
110. 102. 100. Final. 98
The Indiana Pacers stay perfect on Sundays this season by holding off the late charge by the Miami Heat.
The Good: Paul George put up another strong performance, easing our minds after he slumped a bit out of the All-Star break. 28 points and 10 rebounds were a good way to bounce back from his last performance against the Miami Heat — a game where he was ejected — a get a win.
The Bad: The bench saw a lot of Heat shots fall in. Some of that is on them, but some of it was just shots falling for Miami. I’m only really putting them here because we use a template for post-game grades.
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They coughed up the lead despite not really doing a bad job. No one on the bench had anything worse than a +/- of -6.
MVP: Despite Paul George’s numbers, the win was more of the team variety this time. No complaints, though.
LVP: Have you seen Al Jefferson? He is getting paid a lot of money to sit on the bench right now. Good piece in the wrong puzzle, but still frustrating knowing he can’t help this team out. The only good news in this situation is he lost his minutes to Rakeem Christmas, and I only mean that in the sense Christmas earned them.
X-Factor: Myles Turner having his best game out of the last five. His shooting was off, but 15 points and 8 rebounds should kickstart him.
Small Forward. Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE. A. Double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds. That’s five games out of the last games where he has scored 20+ points. Only two turnovers to go with his block, steal, and assist.
B. A well-rounded game with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE
B. He may have only shot 4 of 14, but it was the first game out of the last five where he scored 10+ points. Timely rebounds and dunks as well.. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
☤. Still getting healthy, but still making an impact. Once again he took on Luke Babbitt in the post and proceeded to score. 13 points and 5 rebounds on the night.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
C. Didn’t shoot well (3 of 8), but 8 points and 5 rebounds aren’t terrible, either.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
Indiana Pacers. RAKEEM CHRISTMAS. B. 7 points and 5 rebounds for Christmas is great coming off the bench. Only 2 fouls in nearly 20 minutes. We know Christmas can grab boards and find baskets, but the fouls are an issue. Games like this are steps in the right direction.. PF
6 points and 2 assists. Like most of the bench he was fine, but nothing special.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS. C
Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III. C. 4 points on 3 shots. Not bad, but nothing special tonight.. Small Forward
9 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds are a decent performance for Stuckey, but obviously you want more.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. RODNEY STUCKEY. B-