Post-Game Grades: Pacers sweep season series against Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs turn the ball over 20 times and the Indiana Pacers were more than happy to capitalize.

The Indiana Pacers led throughout, though the team’s poor three-point shooting had fans nervous about the outcome right up until the game’s closing minutes. Fortunately, the Pacers — still without Myles Turner — were able to capitalize on the Spurs’ 20 turnovers and their 26 percent night from behind the arc to come home 3-2 from the five-game West Coast trip.

Teams don’t usually score just 86 points and win in the 2018 NBA landscape. In fact, it’s happened only three times this season. The Spurs are indeed sitting pretty at third in the West, but they’ve too had their own injury troubles, and they’ve been a .500 team since 2018 arrived. The Pacers winning this one against a Kawhi-less Spurs team wasn’t out of the question, but Indiana’s last two performances on the five-game road trip were far less than promising.

The Pacers came out and forced six San Antonio turnovers in the first quarter, but the Spurs kept it even with eight points from a 37-year-old Pau Gasol (finished with 14). The Pacers were able to gain an advantage in the second, finishing the half up 46-43, despite shooting a stinky one-for-nine from deep – a familiar thorn in the Pacers’ proverbial side as of late.

It was never going to be easy, though. The Spurs don’t lose much at home (19-3). The Pacers had lost 14 of their last 15 games in San Antonio, and though Indiana had won their last game against San Antonio, the Pacers haven’t swept a season series against the Spurs since the 1994-1995 season.

But! Things only improved for the Pacers in the third, as they pushed their lead while weathering the Spurs resistance — a resistance that had 14 turnovers and only three free-throw attempts by the third quarter’s end.

The fourth quarter brought on a 17-point Pacers lead – thanks to a dunk from Big Al! – that was quickly whittled down to seven before a beautiful CoJoe steal stopped the Spurs’ momentum – for good, mostly. There was even some Thad at the 5!

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The Pacers’ four-of-19 night from deep was rough, but everyone stepped up – the team only missed one-of-17 free-throws on the night! – and the Pacers are coming home to Indy a respectable 3-2 from the dreaded five-game West Coast road trip. Not bad!

The Good: If we aren’t counting Joe Young and TJ Leaf – and I’m really sorry, but who is? – all the major players stepped up tonight. Eight guys had at least nine points, and Dipo led the way with 19. Four guys each had THREE steals!

The Bad: Domas does absolutely need to stay out of foul trouble, but the Bad tonight goes to the 21 percent three-point shooting. The Pacers really gotta focus on that. For serious.

MVP: 

This Bojan dunk was followed by the Big Classic dunk posted above – an MVP-worthy sequence if ever there was one.

LVP: I don’t wanna, ya know, pick a bunch of nits and whatnot, but while Dipo scored 19, he did  turn the ball over six times, and well, it’d be cool if he wouldn’t do that anymore.

X-Factor: Cory Joesph – absolutely. He had the momentum-crushing steal and the game-sealing three-pointer in a W against his former team.

Next: Domantas Sabonis' Passing

The Pacers get to go home! Next up is the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, January 24 in Indy, at 7 pm EST.