Grades: Pacers hold off comeback from herd of Bucks
By Tony East
The Indiana Pacers held off a comeback from the Bucks and held on to win the game 92-89. Let’s take a closer look.
The Pacers were at one point up 15 points in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks. That lead quickly trickled away, but thanks to an excellent game from Bojan Bogdanovic, the team was able to hold on and get the win against Giannis Antetokounmpo and company.
92. 100. Final. 89. 89
This game was ugly. U-G-L-Y. It definitely did not have an alibi. Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back and were traveling, and you could see the exhaustion all over the court; the Pacers and their tired legs won while only shooting 42.9% from the court.
Thankfully, despite the poor shooting, the Pacers proved again that they have an answer (or at least a temporary one) for how to stop Antetokounmpo. Giannis finished with just 18 points on 16 shots and was unable to get anything going over the course of the game, and he finished just a +2.
The Good: The Pacers took care of the basketball. They had 14 turnovers, which sounds like a lot, but Victor Oladipo had 10 of them. The rest of the squad combined for only four, they did an excellent job taking care of the ball and not giving the Bucks any easy fast break looks.
Another smaller good thing: Domantas Sabonis had zero fouls. Considering he averages three per game, that has to be considered a good.
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The Bad: Remember those 10 turnovers Oladipo had I just talked about? Yeah, that is bad. That is really bad.
Not only did he cough up the ball double-digit times, he did it on arguably the Pacers most important possession of the game. Clinging to a one-point lead with under one minute to go, Oladipo threw it away and Khris Middleton took it. Middleton had a decent chance on the fast break before getting stripped.
Regardless, Victor couldn’t hold onto the ball tonight, and it almost cost the Pacers the game.
MVP: How have I gotten this far and not mentioned Bojan Bogdanovic’s name once. 29 points on 13 shots. 5/7 from three-point range. Two insanely clutch free throws. Bojan was everywhere tonight, and he was the most impactful player for Indiana.
LVP: Lance Stephenson. Lance had a huge sequence at the end of the third quarter including a deep three and black on Thon Maker, but he finished 3/8 shooting and was a -11. A rare forgettable game for Lance in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
X-Factor: Myles Turner! Turner somehow flew under the radar with a team-leading plus-minus of +17. Despite not getting too involved in the stat sheet, Turner played great defense and stretched the floor. He was huge and undervalued.
A. Looked great out there in a suit. Cheered hard for his teammates.<p>Get well soon, DC.</p>. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
D+. One of Victor Oladipo’s worst games as an Indiana Pacer. 14 points on 19 shots and 10 turnovers. Thankfully, the team still won in spite of him.. SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO
BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. A+. Bojan is just killing it recently. His 29 points were massive tonight, and he did it incredibly efficiently. Hopefully, his hot streak keeps rolling through the playoffs.. SF. Indiana Pacers
PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. B-. Thad gonna Thad. 10 points. 7 rebounds. 2 steals. 2 blocks. The only problem was the five fouls, but Thad, as always, had his hands in every part of the game.
LANCE STEPHENSON. C-. Lance was not great outside of his plays at the end of the third quarter. Hopefully, he figures it out soon.. SG. Indiana Pacers
Cory Joseph finished third on the team in minutes. His defense was excellent all night, he scored 6 points, and he was a +5. Cory is becoming very reliable.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. B
D. TJ Leaf made have played his last minutes this season thanks to the addition of Trevor Booker. In 3 minutes, he has a rebound and a turnover. Leaf has a long was to go.. PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF
PG. Indiana Pacers. JOE YOUNG. C+. Joe Young didn’t stink in his minutes, which is all you can ask for. Four points in 13 minutes. Hopefully, he can stay effective with Darren Collison out.
B-. Glenn Robinson III played great defense. He scored on a beautiful lob, and he had a steal. He’s returning to form, and he was a +4.. SG. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III
MYLES TURNER. A-. Turner, as described earlier, was excellent. He played great defense and spaced the floor.. C. Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS. B. Good: No fouls, 5/9 shooting.<p>Bad: -11, bad defense, bad passing. Just an okay game for Sabonis.</p>. C
Next: Post-Game Grades: Pacers edge out Wizards
The Indiana Pacers play host to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.