The Indiana Pacers didn’t dominate the Cleveland Cavaliers but they were always in control in their win on Saturday night.
The Victor Oladipo-less Indiana Pacers now have more wins than at three other NBA teams after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. The win puts them back in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-19 record.
And oh yeah, they also dodged a huge bullet in the from of a scare from Myles Turner when he landed awkwardly during the first half.
But the good news is Turner is fine and the Pacers are taking care of business against some fo the worst and most dysfunctional teams in the NBA.
Sure, you can only get so excited about a win over the Cavaliers (people were behind schedule for the 8p9s victory song) but this is what you’re supposed to do against bad teams, with or without your franchise player.
It will be hard for this team to get past the second round in the playoffs, and that’s even if they make it out of the first round. But if they can at least win enough to keep homecourt advantage, they can get more out of the season than we first expected after Oladipo went down.
This season isn’t lost, but it won’t be the same without Oladipo. But if the team’s young core of Turner, Domantas Sabonis, T.J. Leaf, Aaron Holiday, and Edmond Sumner can develop their game in their captain’s absence, that’s a win in itself.
And imagine what a round or two of playoff experience can do for them…
Myles Turner is evolving as an offensive player
When you put the ball in Myles Turner’s hands in give him the green light, the result is points. Turner reeled off 10 quick points in the first quarter. His confidence is there as he simply puts up shots and doesn’t hesitate to take the shots he once wasn’t so sure of.
Turner could stand to shoot more 11.7 attempts over the last 10 games, but the fact he comes away with 16.1 points on 53.8 percent shooting is encouraging. The higher workload hasn’t made him less efficient.
Turner doesn’t need to score 20+ points a game for the Pacers thanks to the defense he plays. But if he can score 15 or more while erasing plenty of the opponents’ potential points, then the Pacers can seriously compete with a version of Turner similar to what we see now.
Thankfully, Myles Turner’s knee is fine by all accounts
As mentioned before, Turner left the game at point while displaying the body language of a man who might be seriously hurt.
Thankfully, he scared himself more than hurt himself when he landed. I don’t think Pacers fans could have handled another player being lost for the season.
Turner might have some injury risks — he’s had a few things bothering him this season — but some things like his broken nose are just bad luck.
Bojan Bogdanovic remains slept on by most NBA fans
If he keeps this up, there’s a chance Bojan Bogdanovic will lead the team in scoring by the end of the season. Against the Cavaliers he scored 23 on 9 of 17 (52.9 percent) shooting frome the field and 3 of 7 (42.9 percent) from deep.
Since Oladipo went down, Bogdanovic is averaging 20.6 points a game. That ranks 36th in the NBA over that span. The man can score reliably, consistently, and efficiently.
Bojan added some wrinkles to his game this year and the results show in the way he can score both as a driver and a spot up shooter.
If he keeps this up, he will be rewarded in the offseason with a very nice contract.
The Indiana Pacers go for their fifth straight win when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Monday at 7 p.m.