Turner and the Indiana Pacers survive Philadelphia, hold on to 3rd in the East
By William Furr
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.
100. Final. 98. 93. 101
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.
PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON. B-. 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 21 minutes. Looks ready to resume starting. Hurt his 50-40-90 bid by missing 2 three’s and a free throw. Offense definitely flows better while he’s in there
Brutal night for Victor Oladipo, as he went 4-21 from the field. His offensive foul when being double teamed was a backbreaker too. Did notch 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, and the Pacers were far better with him on the floor.. SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO. D
SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. F. 1-11 from the field, 0-5 from deep, could not buy a bucket. Bojan ended his hot streak in a BIG way
PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. A. 19 and 10 on 64% shooting against your former team? That’ll do. Thad Young is criminally underrated.
MYLES TURNER. A+. Myles Turner was the best player on the court tonight. ‘Nuff said.. C. Indiana Pacers
Inc. Domas left in the third quarter in quite a bit of pain from a sprained left ankle and did not return. 3 points (on a bailout 3 pointer) and 2 steals were underwhelming, but his true value was seen when Al Jefferson replaced him in the lineup and the Pacers forgot how to score. Get well soon, Domas. C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS
Indiana Pacers. LANCE STEPHENSON. A. 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 sixers annoyed. Good Lance was there in spades. Got into Ben Simmons repeatedly, and draw a tech on Joel Embiid. SG
B+. 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals. Another very nice performance from CoJo, who just might reprise the George Hill role and steal the starting spot after a Darren Collison injury. The half court offense does struggle when he’s got to create. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
C. Indiana Pacers. AL JEFFERSON. D. 6 minutes, 0-3 from the field, 2 fouls. Finished -6. Al attacked Embiid, but the success wasn’t there and the team really bogged down with him on the floor
C. 2 points, 2 offensive rebounds in 12 minutes. If he can start hitting from deep, he’ll have a bigger roll going toward the playoffs. SG. Indiana Pacers. GLENN ROBINSON III
TREVOR BOOKER. B+. 5 points, 6 rebounds. Booker makes the Pacers 10% nastier underneath. He absolutely stonewalled Joel Embiid on one possession after switching over to center too.. F. Indiana Pacers
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.