Post-Game Grades: ALL HAIL VICTOR OLADIPO
By Ben Gibson
Victor Oladipo continues his reign of dominance as the Indiana Pacers ended the Cleveland Cavaliers win streak.
102. 156. 106. 100. Final
Yes, Victor Oladipo can keep this going. The Indiana Pacers brought the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 13-game winning streak to a close on Friday night as once again, Oladipo went ballistic.
33 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists were the finally tally for Oladipo. He didn’t have a game-winner on Friday, but he still hit a big shot late to close the on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
33 points tonight from @VicOladipo.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 9, 2017
He's now finished with 30 or more points for the 4th time this season, the most since his rookie year (5). https://t.co/0IT8jTeuZC
Is it time to accept that this is the new Victor Oladipo and that the old Victor Oladipo is dead?
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The Good: This was a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron, not a win over that team claiming to be the Cavaliers. It’s just a regular season game, but beating a legitimately good team is only going to bolster this young squad’s confidence.
Getting 19 fast break points are a testament to Indiana not getting away from their own game plan.
The Bad: Neither team could buy a shot in the fourth, but Cory Joseph left J.R. Smith wide open on a shot that cut the lead to three. He made up for it with free throws on the other end, but that absent-minded play nearly cost Indiana the game.
MVP: Victor Oladipo, as if there was any question.
LVP: Darren Collison’s cold streak continued, prompting Nate McMillan to get creative in the second half as he used both Lance Stephenson and Cory Joseph as ball-handlers late in the game. DC was left on the bench on the fourth and finished the game with a -10 +/-.
X-Factor: Bojan didn’t guard LeBron James well, but the fact he tries says a lot.
Instead of Thaddeus Young or another Pacer wearing themselves down for the whole game, Bojan steps in and at least gives them breaks. In crunch time we saw Young take the job over, limiting James to 7 fourth-quarter points.
Bojan’s stepping into the role that C.J. Miles once filled, and it’s things like this earn him the respect of his teammates while also putting Indiana is a better position to win. His timely 3-pointers in the second half, especially the one in the fourth, count for a lot as well.
He picked up enough counting stats (6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) to avoid a worse grade, but the Pacers were better with him on the bench. He does deserve credit for giving Indiana the early lead with a pair of 3-pointers to open the game.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON. C-
SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO. A+. You can’t spell victory without Victor.
SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. B. 10 points and 2 rebounds don’t look like much, but all the things mentioned above are why he mattered so much tonight. Better shooting nights (27.3%/25%), but he hit a timely 3-pointer.
B. 13 points, 8 rebounds — 5 of which were on offense — and steady defense are just another solid night from Thaddeus Young.. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
B. Blocked LeBron again as he finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. He went 5 of 11 but didn’t have any shots in the fourth quarter. If that’s a product of Oladipo’s craziness, so be it, but it would be nice for him to get some touches.. C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
B. 9 points and 9 rebounds on the night for Domantas Sabonis. He made 4 of his 6 shots but wasn’t part of the game plan offensively.. C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS
B. Credit to Lance Stephenson for taking on extra ball-handling duties late in the game and making several passes that ended up as points. Finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.. SG. Indiana Pacers. LANCE STEPHENSON
B. Nearly killed Indiana with one bad play, but he had the best +/- of the team at +16. Joseph 50% shooting from both overall and outside the arc played a big role in the bench outscoring the Cavs 29-23.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
SF. Indiana Pacers. DAMIEN WILKINS. B. The box score only shows 1 point, but he was +7 thanks to his defense coming off the bench.
Next: Lance makes Ntilikina dance
Indiana faces the Denver Nuggets on Sunday before preparing themselves for Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.