Grades: Wolves howl, but the Pacers hang on to win
By Tony East
The Indiana Pacers got back on track with a win at home over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Indiana Pacers needed a win to hold on to the number 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. After a hard fought battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves, they found a way to get it done.
115. 86. 122. 100. Final
The Wolves had a 12 point lead in the middle of the second quarter thanks to a monster start to the game from Karl-Anthony Towns. He had 23 points at the end of the first quarter, and he finished with 42. The Pacers had no answer for him early, but they adjusted and slowed him down enough to catch up to Minnesota.
On the Pacers side, Bojan Bogdanovic led the way, and by a mile. Nobody on the team had over 20 points… except Bogey, who dropped 37, the most he has put in while wearing an Indiana uniform. He was huge for the team, getting to the basket at will and stroking the 3-pointer whenever he was open.
Also, TJ Leaf may have had his best game in a Pacers uniform. He dropped 18 points, the second-best on the team in this game. They needed his contributions. Including the game against Dallas, Leaf had 27 points and 10 rebounds in the back-to-back. He is looking like a useful NBA player of late.
There was also a great moment in this game. After KAT ran through Thaddeus Young, Young fell to the floor and landed under the basket. Wesley Matthews went over and sat with him. It was adorable.
Sticking together. #Pacers pic.twitter.com/EgwAAeQHUV
— Bally Sports Indiana (@BallySportsIN) March 1, 2019
Sharing the rock
The Pacers have admitted multiple times this season that their goal as a team is to have 25 assists in a given game.
Tonight, the squad had 35. They were slinging it around productively, and it was a big part of the reason they won.
TEEEEEEJJJJJJ
TJ Leaf looks like a seriously solid player. His 18 points were all of the impressive fashion – a patient post bucket, a tidy off the dribble move, or a smooth jumper. He looked very comfortable out there, something you couldn’t say about him last year.
Another thing – his defense looks decent too. He is contesting tons of shots and he had a nice block on Andrew Wiggins. Leaf might be a player, Y’all.
A 3-point barrage
The Pacers shot 16/27 from deep, nearly 60 percent. That is very good and requires no explanation.
Grades:
C. 8 points and 9 assists from DC, but he shot 1/9 from the field. It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough.. PG. Indiana Pacers. DARREN COLLISON
B -. All of Wesley Matthews made shots were from deep, his area of expertise. 3/9 shooting isn’t great, but his defense makes up for it.. SG. Indiana Pacers. WESLEY MATTHEWS
A +. 37 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists. The team was a +17 with him on the floor, the best of any Pacer.<p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>MIP?</p>. SF. Indiana Pacers. BOJAN BOGDANOVIC
B. 15/5/5 for Thad, who Nate used a lot as the primary defender of KAT. This grade would be higher had Young not fouled out.. PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG
C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER. C. 6 blocks are awesome, but that’s about the only thing Turner did well tonight. Foul trouble kept him out of rhythm, he finished with 3 points and 1 rebound.
B. 10 points on 4/6 shooting for O’Quinn, who played adequately as a backup center.. C. Indiana Pacers. KYLE O'QUINN
A. 8 points are fine, but CoJo’s game was marked by 12 assists and 0 turnovers. He held Derrick rose 8 points below his season average. Joseph was superb.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
DOUG MCDERMOTT. B -. 9 points for McDermott, who didn’t miss a 3 in this game. At Bankers Life Fieldhouse, that’s huge for him.. SF. Indiana Pacers
TJ LEAF. A. Leaf looking like a solid player is a huge development. That is big for the Pacers, both in the present and future. Hopefully, he can build off of this 18 point game and get some momentum.. PF. Indiana Pacers
C -. 2 points on 1/4 shooting, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers from Holiday. He has really struggled since Oldaipo’s injury, but he hasn’t killed the team or anything. He’s hitting a rookie wall.. PG. Indiana Pacers. AARON HOLIDAY
A. Nate turned to Leaf with Turner in foul trouble, and it worked perfectly. Great adjustments and KAT and great rotational choices.. Head Coach. Indiana Pacers. NATE MCMILLAN
Next. Why Myles Turner deserves the Defensive Player of The Year award. dark
The Pacers host the Magic on Saturday. They will try to get a win streak going before their schedule become brutal starting on March 7th.