Pacers sail past Clippers, sweep the LA teams
By Tony East
The Indiana Pacers kept their win streak going, smashing the Los Angeles Clippers at home.
Wasn’t it nice to just enjoy a basketball game during this time where everything is focused on trades? I sure thought it was, and the Indiana Pacers sure seemed to enjoy playing tonight.
77. 116. 100. Final. 92
That’s two straight games where the Pacers just look unstoppable. They had 71 points at halftime and simply cruised through the rest of the game.
Bojan Bogdanovic continues to roll and give the Pacers what they need on offense. He poured in 29 points on 19 shots and knocked down half of his threes. He has risen out of the slump he had for some of the month of January and has turned into an effective lead option for this Pacers team.
On the defensive end, it was Myles Turner‘s night. He had 6 blocks and 4 steals, thwarting essentially everything that happened around him and around the basket. His stat line was so good that he made history.
Myles Turner had 6 blocks and 4 steals in 27 minutes tonight. He's the third player in NBA history -- since blocks and steals have been tracked -- to notch at least 6 blocks and 4 steals in 27 or fewer minutes. David Robinson in 1990 and Hakeem Olajuwon in 1986 are the others.
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) February 8, 2019
Not bad company to be included in. Oh, and Turner shot 7/8 from the field and added 17 points. He has been unbelievable recently.
The value of Cory Joseph
Cory Joseph does more great stuff than most players in the NBA that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. He hustles his butt off, he is an incredible defensive player (especially on the ball) he is unpredictable on offense, and he’s not really bad at any particular skill.
On nights where his impact does show up in the stat sheet, like tonight (13-9-6), it’s easy to see how good, and important he can be.
Myles Turner for DPOY
The case is easy to make. Being the league leader in blocks will help him get the votes from the people who don’t watch him, and being a dominant player on that end of the floor will help him get the votes from the people who do.
He is starting to look better switching onto guys out of the perimeter, too. Myles has become a beast on defense. He needs Defensive Player of the Year attention.
A BATsketball game
This was so hilarious to me. There was a bat at the game today, and it disrupted the game twice. Many people in the arena tried to catch it with towels and hats but to no avail.
Hey @spurs and @SpursCoyote, can we get a little help here? 🦇 pic.twitter.com/d9NtVlQ0XJ
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 8, 2019
Back to actual basketball for player and coaching grades:
A -. 14 points, 5 assists, and only 1 turnover for Collison. And this was one of his worst games in a while, which tells you just how awesome he has been of late. He was still very good tonight.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
C +. 8 points on 50 percent shooting are good for Evans compared to how he’s shot of late. 3 turnovers and only 2 assists aren’t good though. He was still solid enough overall.. SG. Indiana Pacers. TYREKE EVANS
A. That’s Mr. lead option on a playoff team to you! Bojan is the Pacers go-to guy on offense now, and the way he has handled it has been sublime. 29 points on 19 shots as well as 7 rebounds. He was fantastic.. SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC
THADDEUS YOUNG. A -. The last time I did player grades was against the Pelicans on Monday. Thaddeus Young had 14/5/4 in that game. Tonight, Thaddeus Yong had 14/5/4. He is so consistent and so good.. PF. Indiana Pacers
C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. A. DPOY. 7/8 from the field. 17 points. 6 blocks. 4 steals. Incredible game.
8 points and 7 rebounds for Sabonis in 21 minutes. Not his usually high contributions, but still great.. C. Indiana Pacers. DOMANTAS SABONIS. B
C -. Sumner’s offense returned to looking raw after a great performance against the Lakers. He finished with 2 points on 5 shots. He had a great highlight block, though.. SG. Indiana Pacers. EDMOND SUMNER
PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH. A. CoJo actually led the team in minutes tonight. that’s how good he was, adding 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists to his already elite energy and defense.
PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF. A -. 7 points on 3/3 shooting to go with 2 rebounds and block. Leaf is rolling and making some solid defensive plays. We’ve got a player here, folks.
AARON HOLIDAY. C -. 1/9 shooting from Holiday tonight, who has really struggled from the field outside of that Lakers game. 3 turnovers too, but he had 3 rebounds and 3 assists to help mitigate that problem. The shots will fall eventually.. PG. Indiana Pacers
C. 2 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes for O’Quinn. 1/4 shooting and 4 turnovers are unsettling, but his D and screens make up for a lot of his mistakes.. Center. Indiana Pacers. KYLE O'QUINN
A. Hard to complain about coaching in a 24 point win that immediately follows a 42 point win.. Head Coach. Indiana Pacers. NATE MCMILLAN
Pacers to sign Wesley Matthews. dark. Next
The Pacers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. They should have no problem winning the game, unless Larry Nance is allowed to push over any player he wants like last time the two teams met.