8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

Indiana Pacers squash the beef, beat Chicago Bulls

By Tony East

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The Indiana Pacers played another ugly game against the Chicago Bulls, but they found a way to win.

I wanted to open with some terrible 2019 pun and say something like “it felt like the Indiana Pacers hadn’t played in years!”. But then they looked like they hadn’t played in years. They looked rough.

They scraped by the Bulls in overtime and were able to find a way to win.

Final. 119. 100. 116. 24

Find a way to win is the opposite of a euphemism. Victor Oladipo hit a clutch shot to secure the win for the Pacers down the stretch:

https://twitter.com/usatodaynba/status/1081393457393004545

Masked Myles Turner made his debut, and he was not great. He fouled 4 times and was only able to stay on the floor for 25 minutes. His final stat line was not glamorous at all, but thankfully his defense was okay.

Thankfully, Domantas Sabonis picked up the pace at the center position. He was terrific, scoring 17 points in the first half and doing pretty much everything well. He was snagging rebounds, dishing out assists, and setting killer screens all game long.

Victor Oladipo led the way in scoring, something we haven’t seen as much from him recently. He finished with an insane stat line of 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

At one point, Vic had 10 points in a row in the second half. He sparked the whole team in the 3rd quarter:

And of course, he saved the day in the end. The Pacers have a special player. 

Clutch Victor Oladipo is back

It had been forever since we had seen Oladipo singlehandedly pull the Pacers up to victory. But tonight, we got to see it again.

When he does these kinds of things, he is one of the most fun players in the NBA to watch. Hopefully, we get to see this more frequently in 2019.

Thaddeus Young is incredible

Thad Young was 8/9 from the field. Thad Young was the only starter with a positive +/-. Young played incredible defense.

Thaddeus Young is the most underrated player in the NBA, I mean it.

The Pacers are so blessed to have these two young centers

The Pacers have Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. That is such a blessing. Most of the time, both of them play very well and are useful players.

But on nights like tonight, when one of them is struggling, it is so nice to have both so that one center can pick up the slack. Sabonis was a hero.

Now on to some player grades:

C -. 6 points, 2 assists, 2 turnovers. This was simply not a good game for Collison, but he did <em>just</em> enough.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON

A +. This is the All-NBA Victor Oladipo that we haven’t seen in a while. Hopefully, these performances become more frequent.. SG. . VICTOR OLADIPO

BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. C. Bogey had 13 points, but it took him 15 shots. Thankfully, he added 6 rebounds, a value he doesn’t normally provide.. SF. Indiana Pacers

A. Glue guy gonna glue guy.<p>(Alliterations, anyone?)</p>. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG

MYLES TURNER. C -. Masked Myles did not have a great game as he did so often in December. 8 points and 2 rebounds are rough. Hopefully, this isn’t a trend.. C. Indiana Pacers

A. Sabonis did everything for the Pacers. He scored, set screens, got rebounds, and passed very well. He was terrific.. C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS

TYREKE EVANS. C +. 10 points and 3 assists are exactly what Tyreke needs to do. He was good enough but not great.. SG. Indiana Pacers

PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. B. I get such joy out of watching Cory Joseph play defense. Add in 6 assists, and you’ve got yourself a nice little game.

B. McDermott only had 5 points, but he shot well on his 3 shots and he supplied a ton of spacing. There was a reason he was +11. A solid impact from McDermott, even with low stats.. SF. Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT

Next. How Aaron Holiday is able to have a positive impact on the Pacers. dark

The Pacers will try to avenge their recent loss to the Raptors in Toronto on Sunday.

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