Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Get Speared by the Deer
The Indiana Pacers could not overcome a hyped-up Milwaukee team that was eager to start off on the right foot in their new arena.
The Milwaukee Bucks got some extra help from a playoff-type atmosphere thanks to an electric crowd that was excited to see their squad defend home court for the first time in the brand new Fiserv Forum. The Indiana Pacers got buried under a barrage of bombs from deep, as the Bucks knocked down 17 of their 47 attempted three-point shots.
In comparison, the Pacers were only able to hit 6 of 18 shots from deep and also struggled to take care of the ball or hit from the mid-range. A dominant first half from arguably the best player in the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo, also helped Milwaukee build a comfortable lead that the Pacers were just never able to come back from.
Final. 101. 100. 118. 89
The Good: The Pacers got to test out the interesting Turner/Sabonis combination that everyone has been anxious to get a look at all summer long. It looked promising in the limited action we saw from it. Some role guys, like McDermott and Collison, were able to improve on their opening night performances, and Myles Turner came out firing on offense.
The Bad: Turnovers in the first half put the Pacers in a hole early on. The game was close when the turnovers got out of control, so if Indy could’ve been more protective of the ball, this game could have unfolded a bit differently. Bogdanovic and Young weren’t able to add too much production compared to the other starters.
MVP: The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, earns this title today. His 22 points and 11 rebounds in the first half established the tone for the rest of the game. He was held to 4 points and 4 rebounds in the second half, but at that point, the Bucks didn’t need anything more out of him.
LVP: Bojan Bogdanovic did not hit a single shot from the field, going 0-7. If Bojan isn’t making shots, he typically doesn’t add tons of value in any other areas to make up for it.
X-Factor: The three-point line. The Bucks took advantage of opportunities from deep while the Pacers were unable to create anything behind the arc.
B-. 10 points and a few assists is a marked improvement for Collison in comparison to last game. However, Collison wasn’t able to get a single three-point attempt off, which is disappointing for a guy that led the league in three-point percentage last season.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
VICTOR OLADIPO. B. Vic dropped a healthy 25 points, but it wasn’t his prettiest performance. He shot under 50%, and the mid-range wasn’t falling like it usually does. He also failed to record a steal for the second straight game and let Eric Bledsoe blow by him a couple times. Still, Vic had some bright spots, including a huge block on Giannis and a couple pretty drives to the hoop. Vic will hit his groove soon.. SG. Indiana Pacers
D. 0-7 from the field for Bogey is… not ideal. Still, he was able to draw a few fouls and added three points from the free throw line. That’s about all that went right tonight for the usual sharpshooter.. SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC
C-. Tough night for Thad, but he also drew the short end of the stick and had to match up with Antetokounmpo for most of the game. 7 points aren’t awful, but only snagging one rebound isn’t gonna cut it for a starting power forward.. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
Myles came out swinging and hit a few shots early on to get the Pacers off on the right foot. Sadly, the momentum didn’t continue, but Myles still had several solid defensive possessions and fired off four shots from range, second only to McDermott for the Pacers tonight. None of Myles’ shots from deep fell, but it’s encouraging to see him taking these chances.. C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. B-
A. Sabonis had a double-double for the second game in a row, finishing with 12 points and 13 boards. 6 of his boards were on the offensive end, which is a skill that will prove to be huge for Indy as the season goes on. A poster dunk on Brook Lopez, a perfect night from the charity stripe, and several baskets from the post capped off another solid night for Domas.. C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS
10/5/4 off the bench for Tyreke is a stat line you can’t really complain about. He’s starting to look more comfortable with the team and his pick-and-roll game with Sabonis remains strong. Tyreke also had a very impressive kick-out to McDermott for a nice corner three.. SG. Indiana Pacers. TYREKE EVANS. B+
D+. Not a ton of value added from CoJo tonight. He took a couple ill-advised, early-in-the-shot-clock mid-range jumpers that didn’t go down. 3 points and 0 assists from your backup point guard is a bummer.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
A-. McDermott did exactly what he was signed to do tonight. He added 14 points on 4 made three-pointers and added an emphatic dunk to boot (for the second straight game).. SF. Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT
KOQ only played 4 garbage time minutes but looked solid while he was on the court. A nice assist and three added points were good to see.. C. Indiana Pacers. KYLE O'QUINN. C+
:(. Ty Jacob Leaf did not make the trip to Milwaukee after spraining his ankle in the season opener. Get well soon, Teej.. PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF
C+. Aaron didn’t score any points in his 4 minutes of action, but he looked aggressive and active while he was on the court. Cornrows still look good, too.. PG. Indiana Pacers. AARON HOLIDAY
C+. Congrats to Alize, who scored the first NBA points of his career tonight!. PF. Indiana Pacers. ALIZE JOHNSON
C+. 4 garbage time minutes for Sumner as well. He picked up a cheap foul but also drew a trip to the foul line off of an aggressive move to the basket. It’s always fun to watch him play.. PG. Indiana Pacers. EDMOND SUMNER
:). Newly acquired guard, Davon Reed, did not participate in this game, but we look forward to seeing him on the court soon!. SG. Indiana Pacers. DAVON REED
The Pacers’ next game in Saturday night at home against the Brooklyn Nets, who will also be on the second half of a back-to-back. The Pacers will look to close out week 1 of the season with a strong performance.