Post-Game Grades: Toronto Raptors Prolong the Indiana Pacers Woes
By William Furr
81. 100. 100. Final. 111
The Indiana Pacers came out hot against the Toronto Raptors but slowly bled out before giving up the ghost in the 3rd quarter as the Raptors ran away with a fairly comfortable win.
The Good: Not much. Monta Ellis had a dunk, which is always fun. The Pacers competed with a potential playoff foe, and made the Raptors work for it.
The Bad: The 3rd quarter. The Raptors won the quarter 34-20 and turned a tough game into a laugher.
MVP: DeMarr DeRozan. Don’t care if he’s not a Pacer, he was the best player in the game. Putting up 40 on PG is no easy feat, and DeRozan did it in a myriad of ways. The Pacers don’t have the excuse of Jeff Teague having to cover Kyle Lowry either, as Lowry was out for this game.
LVP: Monta Ellis. Despite Being one of only two Pacers showing positive in the +/-, department, Ellis had a pretty awful looking game.
X-Factor: Jonas Valenciunas. 13 rebounds in the THIRD QUARTER helped bury the Pacers in a quarter they lost by 14 points.
PAUL GEORGE. B+. 28 points ad 9 rebounds on 10-22 shooting, including 4-10 from deep. Awesome offensive numbers, got roasted by DDR. His defense needs to be elite for this team to succeed. His defense wasn’t elite tonight.. Small Forward. Indiana Pacers
JEFF TEAGUE. B+. 19 points and 5 assists on only 9 shots is good offensive output. Played well, but never seemed like a difference maker.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers
9 points, 9 rebounds, 4-7 from the floor is a fine game. The Pacers need Myles Turner to be better than fine, though. Fair or not, they need Myles to recapture his early season form in order to make any noise (or even make, at this point) in the playoffs. Jonas ate him alive on the glass in the 3rd quarter.. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. B-
Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. B. 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6-13 shooting. Nice night for Thad – will be good when his confidence in his 3 point shooting comes back, as he attempted none tonight.. Power Forward
D. 4 points on 2-11 shooting, 0-3 from deep. Did manage 4 assists and 3 steals, but did not look good. Ellis somehow managed to finish a team-high +5.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS
C+. 15 points on 5-14 shooting, 3-6 from deep. Looked okay, but not good enough to save the Pacers.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
Had a nice box score: 11 points on 50% shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 14 minutes. Took a charge when the Pacers were fighting to stay alive. Brooks gets nearly constantly pressured when he’s in the game, and this led to C.J. Miles bringing the ball up court and initiating the offense multiple times.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. AARON BROOKS. C+
D. 16 minutes, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 2 points. The Lavoy Allen fan club will be silent this evening.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN
D-. 8 minutes, 3 fouls, 1 assist, no rebounds or points. Not great, Bob. PF. Indiana Pacers. RAKEEM CHRISTMAS