Indiana Pacers bring insect repellant, have no trouble with Hornets
By Tony East
The Indiana Pacers had no trouble on a back to back, as they took down the Hornets easily.
The Indiana Pacers got thumped by the Charlotte Hornets back in November, and they were playing on a back-to-back today. There were reasons to think that this would be a hard game for Indiana.
It wasn’t.
95. 170. 120. 100. Final
It was a somewhat weird game, where there were stretches in which both teams seemed to go on a mini-run of sorts. But the Pacers had way more of them, and it propelled them to victory.
We got to see all of the young kids play, which was exciting. Also, Myles Turner figuratively ended a mans life, which was equally exciting:
RIP Marvin Williams. pic.twitter.com/mPzR2wbzDY
— Tony East (@TonyREast) January 20, 2019
A tale of two halves
In the first half, Victor Oladipo shot 2/10. In the second half, he was 6/10. He hasn’t been shooting well of late, so it was excellent to see him finally have a stretch where he could put the ball through the net. Hopefully, something sticks.
Almost a career-high for Myles Turner
Myles Turner pulled down his career-high in rebounds earlier this season with a 17 rebound masterpiece. Tonight, he almost tied that figure with a 16 rebound performance. He had over 1/3 of the teams defensive rebounds. He had a fantastic night on the glass.
Is this Tyreke here to stay?
Tyreke Evans has put together some quality performances recently, and he has been effective in 9 or 10 of the Pacers 12 games since Christmas. Hopefully, this is a trend that sticks, the Pacers could use a prolific scoring guard off the bench every game.
And now, player grades:
DC nearly had a double-double as he had 19 points and 9 assists. He was great in this game, he was able to score and set up his teammates basically whenever he needed to.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON. A
A -. Victor had a questionable shot selection, but you can’t complain too much about 21 points on 20 shots. It’s not great, but it’s better than what the Pacers have been getting from him. He also had 7 assists, 3 steals, and 0 turnovers. He was really good.. SG. Indiana Pacers. VICTOR OLADIPO
Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. B +. After starting the game off struggling, Bogey finished with 50 percent shooting after turning it on in the second half. 16 points and 7 rebounds is a solid night, especially for a guy who has been struggling.. SF
B. Thad did his typical Thad stuff (7/5/2) but I didn’t feel like you could feel him as much in this game. He was still good, though.. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
MYLES TURNER. A +. The block of the year makes this an A +. The 9 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks stat line makes this game an overall home run for Turner.. C. Indiana Pacers
DOMANTAS SABONIS. B +. This was the 8th time this season that Sabonis shot under 50 percent from the field. In 44 games. That is insane. He still finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds and was a +18.. C. Indiana Pacers
A -. 14 points on 10 shots to go with 5 assists. Tyreke looks more decisive and alert recently. He might finally be rounding into form. his defense on Tony Parker was also very solid.. SG. Indiana Pacers. TYREKE EVANS
B. CoJo led the second unit along with Sabonis. He was a +18 despite not putting up a huge game in the stat sheet. But he is always good at the things that don’t show up in the box score.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
SF. Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT. C +. 7 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds are about all you can ask of McDermott. 0/2 from three, though. Meh game overall.
Indiana Pacers. KYLE O'QUINN. -. Only played garbage time so hard to give KOQ a grade. He pulled down a rebound and was as smiley as ever.. C
Leaf continues to make the most of his newfound mini spot in the rotation. He had 2 points and 2 blocks and was able to be somewhat useful out there. He is starting to get it.. PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF. C
Garbage time minutes only for Holiday, who stroked a 3 like he always does.. PG. Indiana Pacers. AARON HOLIDAY. -
ALIZE JOHNSON. -. 2 garbage time minutes for Alize Johnson. 1 rebound and 1 missed shot attempt. That is 6 games in a row he has played in.. PF. Indiana Pacers
Next. Pacers trade deadline primer. dark
The Pacers next host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. They will try to beat a Raptors team that has given them fits this season.