The Indiana Pacers struggled to beat an injury-ravaged Warriors last month, so of course, they easily beat them on Thursday.
The Indiana Pacers easily dismissed a healthier Golden State Warriors after struggling to beat their bench and reserves a month before.
Basketball is weird, man.
While Golden State took an early lead, Indiana rolled past them by beating them at their own game. The Pacers made 15 3-pointers to Golden State’s nine and simply played better defense throughout. Indiana typically gives up too many 3-point attempts, but they have a knack for defending them well. By keeping Golden State under 30 percent from, Indiana rendered that potent weapon ineffective for the Warriors.
Stephen Curry is out of action still, but Bojan Bogdanovic made up for it with six 3-pointers. His 28 points led the way in scoring for both teams.
Victor Oladipo showed how he is adjusting to double-teams and added pressure on him as he racked up 7 assists by finding the open man.
The Good: The Pacers picked up a win that few might have expected them to. It may be a late-season game, but Golden State’s starters played around 30 minutes each, so it’s hard to make too many excuses for the Warriors.
Indiana isn’t better than Golden State, but the win drives home how they can be a dangerous foe to any of the Eastern Conference’s playoff teams.
The Bad: Going to a game to see a player you know is injured.
MVP: It has to be Bojan. He was nearly perfect shooting the ball as he went 11 of 13 from the floor and made 6 of his 7 3-point attempts. Indiana wins with a lesser game from Bojan, but his scoring made sure the Warriors threw in the towel.
LVP: Again, going to a game to see a player you know is injured.
X-Factor: Team rebounding played a part as Indiana grabbed 47 to Golden State’s 39. None of the Pacers were in double-digits, but Domantas Sabonis’ 9 and Thaddeus Young’s 8 led the way.
Next: Do you like the show “Martin”? Victor Oladipo sure as hell does
No rest for the Pacers as they face the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. today.