Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers cut down the Brooklyn Nets for a second time
By Ben Gibson
The Indiana Pacers didn’t struggle with the Brooklyn Nets as they dispatched them for the second time this season.
97. 147. 109. 100. Final
There was plenty of good things from the Indiana Pacers win over the Brooklyn Nets, but at the same time it often felt like going through the motions with an inferior team.
Brooklyn is a team looking to the distance future, especially after losing Jeremy Lin — incidently, in the first game of the season, against the Pacers — while Indiana likely was more worried about the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
But the good news is that the Pacers took care of business and didn’t mess around. Other than a few stretches where the Nets go their offense going, Indiana controlled the game and left little doubt as to where the outcome of this game would go.
While the stats show Brooklyn won the battle, it was Cory Joseph and Domantas Sabonis that won the duel between the two sides. The Nets’ reserves actually had better luck against Indiana’s starters.
A win is a win, it just wasn’t as fun as we’ve come to expect from the Indiana Pacers this season.
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The Good: The Indiana bench carried a got portion of the load in the win. Both Domantas Sabonis and Cory Joseph played extended minutes while filling out respectable box scores. After seeing both struggle in certain aspects of the game in recent weeks, their performance tonight makes me think they’ll get out of whatever funk that stymied the game.
Both posted the best +/- of the game at 12 thanks to both showing off their defense.
The Bad: It would have been nice for Victor Oladipo to take a break on Sunday, but it wasn’t in the cards. While the game wasn’t in doubt, the Pacers failed to push the lead out to a point where removing the starters further from the equation was the right move. The Celtics will test Oladipo’s offseason conditioning after he played just over 40 minutes on Sunday.
MVP: Domantas Sabonis reminded us why there was so much early season hype around him as he led all players with 9 rebounds on the night, though he easily could have posted a double-double if it weren’t for a few rebounds being taken by nearby teammates.
X-Factor: The way Darren Collison goes about getting 7 assists in games like these is underrated. He isn’t flashy in his delivery, he just makes the right passes to set up his teammates. Indiana wasn’t going to lose, but Collison’s play on offense helped keep Indiana together in the win.
A-. 14 points, 7 assists, and a few hustle plays highlighted his night as he mostly cleared the path for his teammates. He was 6 of 10 on the night, including a make on his only 3-point attempt.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
A-. 26 points (64.3% shooting from the field) , 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal were the state line, but he a violent dunk in the second half to keep the fans awake.. SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO
A good time (and the perfect team) to have a bit of a bounce back game against for Bojan. However, his 4 of 8 shooting from the field and 1 of 4 from beyond the arc says he is still getting things right mentally. But this is how you recover from an awful night like he had on Friday.. SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. B-
Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. C+. 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist isn’t a very Thaddeus Young-like night, but the Pacers didn’t need any more from him. His 2 of 6 shooting performance included a badly missed 3-pointer, but again, not a big deal, just not a very Thad-like night.. PF
C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. A-. 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Had to like some of the physicality he displayed. He often gets criticized for not rebounding enough, but when he sets hard screens and fights for baskets, that’s what matters.
A. 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and an assist. He’s just showing off since his family came in for the holidays.. C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS
LANCE STEPHENSON. B-. 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in a quieter night from Lance. He shot 3 of 6 from the field with 1 of his 2 3-pointers falling in. When he picks his spots on 3-pointers instead of just launching them, he looks more like the old Lance than the one that left Indiana.. SG. Indiana Pacers
PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. A. 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. Shared the floor in the fourth quarter with Victor Oladipo as the duo played all 12 minutes. They outscored the Nets 29-25, a modest victory, but more importantly they were efficient on offense and made sure the Nets weren’t going to close the gap the Pacers had already build.
Only played a few minutes but Indiana appeared to be solid defensively with him on the floor. Let’s see what happens against the Celtics before we worry about turning that two-way contract into just an NBA one.. SF. Indiana Pacers. ALEX POYTHRESS. A
Next: Let's catch up on Indiana's two-way players
The Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics at 7 p.m. on Monday night.