Post-Game Grades: Some nights you have it, and some nights you’re tired

After a rousing triumph the night before in Minnesota, Indiana delivered an encouraging, albeit tired, performance in defeat in Oklahoma City.

There are some nights when you’re going to make 67 percent of your shots from the field, then there are others when you’re going to miss 66 percent of your shots from the field. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Indiana Pacers shot the later. Even with the lackluster shooting numbers, it still was an oddly encouraging night for these young Pacers.

In the Pacers’ first four games, Indiana either shot over 50 percent and won or shot under 50 and lost. While that’s great and all, as evident by this game, you’re not going to shoot an incredible percentage every game, or even in half of them. What was encouraging is that, even while shooting poorly, the Pacers were in it most of the way.

The biggest weight holding the Pacers back was fatigue. The Thunder did not play like the vaunted foe they should be. They got virtually nothing out of Paul George, and they’re about as deep as a kiddie pool. But, when you only have one player (Victor Oladipo) who played actively all game long, it’s going to be hard to capitalize on a superior opponent’s off night. If they Pacers say they weren’t tired from the night before, they’re lying.

The Good: The Backcourt. 67 of Indy’s 96 points came from Guards, and while some Pacers looked either tired or intimidated, It wasn’t from this unit. Victor Oladipo was all over the court, stepping up to take the big shots and, well, more on him in a bit. Darren Collison was Indiana’s second leading scorer with 18, and had key defensive plays. Collison just looked smarter than every Thunder that tried to guard him.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

• 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
• Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
• 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
• 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
• Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?

Cory Joseph delivered yet another solid performance, he’s unfazed by nothing, pick the scariest haunted house and he’s going to walk through with nary a shrug. And then there was Lance. His shots still aren’t falling, but there were signs of life. He was moving well, playing respectable defense and looked like he found his swagger again.

The Bad: Indiana really has no margin for error, in the post, with Myles Turner out. Turner missed his fourth straight game, and his presence was felt when Domantas Sabonis got into early foul trouble. Al Jefferson played well in relief — I had two spit takes when he created two turnovers- but he’s still mostly a turnstile on defense. Indiana could be really good when both Turner and Sabonis can cover for each other.

MVP: Oladipo. He dropped 35 and was the most dominant player on the floor for most of the game. He shot .611 from the field, .625 from three, and he made all eight of his free throws. He didn’t get an assist, but he did grab 5 rebounds, and the energy he provided got Indiana through the game. He was invaluable.

LVP: Paul George. I’m kidding it was Bojan Bogdanovic he has yet to show any confidence in his 3 pointers, he turned it over 5 times and looked lost defensively. Sometimes you wished he wasn’t even out there…speaking of which, George was rarely on the floor with all those pesky personal fouls he kept accumulating.

X-Factor: Thaddeus Young found his 3 point stroke, which kept Indiana in the game in the second quarter. He also locked down Paul “Wait, he played in this one” George, limiting George to 10 points on eight shots. Nate McMillan could hardly afford to take him out of the game.