The Indiana Pacers had to sweat out yet another road game in a potential playoff matchup, but held on against the 76ers on the back of Myles Turner’s massive performance.
The Pacers shot 5-24 from deep, for a sizzling 20.8%. Victor Oladipo and Bojan Bogdanovic combined to go 5-32 from the field. These are not things you’d expect to read following an Indiana Pacers win, but Myles Turner and Thad Young carried the them on the road. The 76ers fought to the buzzer, but this young Pacers team is now 10-1 in games decided by 3 points or less.
Myles Turner had the Eye of the Tiger from the tip, and battled with league darling Joel Embiid all night long. Turner got the last laugh with 25 points on 75% shooting, and looked comfortable with Embiid’s physicality down low. Faced with an All Star opponent, Turner grabbed multiple offensive rebounds, finished through contact, and hit his 3’s. When Turner plays this way, he’s tough to contain.
His front court mate Thad Young got a (way) belated revenge game against the Sixers, who traded him into years of career purgatory. Young finished with a neat 19 points and 10 rebounds, and seemed to come up big every time the Pacers needed a bucket or a hustle play.
The Good: The Pacers front line. Turner and Thad Young combined to shoot 16-23 to the tune of 44 points. The Sixers front line guys (Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Ersan Ilyasova) got repeated shredded.
The Bad: Oof. Domantas Sabonis left with what looked like a very painful left ankle injury. The team shot less than 21% from deep. The offense died repeatedly. Take your pick.
MVP: Myles Turner. 25 points and 6 rebounds, couldn’t seem to miss. The Sixers couldn’t do a thing against Myles.
LVP: Bojan. He didn’t give the game away at the end (and actually provided a huge play saving the jump ball tip off of a Sixers and out of bounds), but he couldn’t buy a bucket. If Bojan Bogdanovic isn’t hitting shots, he’s not helping your team.
X-Factor: Lance Stephenson. Lance didn’t have the biggest statistical game, but he set the tone for the Pacers second unit. He attacked, played physical, fought for every loose ball, and got under the Sixers collective skin.
Next: 3 Reasons the Pacers are Leading the Central Division
The Pacers face off against the Toronto Raptors next, on March 15th. The game is slated for 7PM Eastern.