Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Bigs Carry Them Past the Philadelphia 76ers
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers took care of business and beat the Philadelphia 76ers. Now they need a little help to officially punch their playoff ticket.
The Good: A win all but puts the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs. They still need a Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat loss, but they are almost there. A blowout would have been more comfortable, but this win was big towards putting Indiana in the postseason.
Nothing will come easy this season.
The Bad: Despite a fast start, the Pacers let the Philadelphia 76ers hang around longer than needed. It wasn’t so much that Indiana was playing badly, but they never clamped down like they did in the first quarter.
Also, Paul George getting ejected after his run-ins with Gerald Henderson wasn’t great. PG shouldn’t have reacted, but he’s also human. Judge him for getting tossed, but also let’s not act like we thought the 76ers were going to win at that point either.
MVP: Thaddeus Young had his best game since injuring his wrist, a good sign for the Pacers going into the playoffs. If they are going to make some noise, a healthy Thad is a big part of it.
LVP: Gerald Henderson is a bum.
X-Factor: Former Fort Wayne Mad Ant star Alex Poythress went 5 of 7 from the 3-point line. If he’s not lighting things up for the 76ers, then maybe this isn’t a “close” game.
Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE. B. A fast start faded, but still scored 27 points. Getting kicked out was dumb, but it doesn’t diminish what he’s been doing lately.. Small Forward
B-. 15 points and 6 assists. Solid.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. JEFF TEAGUE
Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. A+. 18 points and 13 rebounds for Myles Turner. Shot 6 of 8 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line. After some of his ups and downs lately, another solid outing helps assuage fears of it continuing into the playoffs.. Center
A+. 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Dude looks so much better now that his wrist is closer to 100%. Probably still hurts, but it isn’t slowing him down anymore.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS. C. While Ellis didn’t score that much, he racked up 5 assists to help make up for his struggles.
LOL. Seriously, how the hell is this working so well?. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. LANCE STEPHENSON
I wouldn’t call what C.J. Miles is doing lately a cold streak, but it’s been luke-warm. That’s his M.O. He’ll get a hot again soon enough. For what it is worth, he had a few go in and out so it isn’t like he’s #BrokeNoWork.. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES. B-
A+. 17 points is good for anyone, much less your backup center. Maybe pairing him with Lance Stephenson is paying off. He scored 11 points in each of the last two games and he’s shooting over 50%.. Center. Indiana Pacers. KEVIN SERAPHIN
B. THE LAVOY ALLEN EXPERIENCE™ HAD FOUR OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT HE DOES.. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN
C. 3 points and 2 assists.. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. AARON BROOKS