Grades: Pacers can’t contain Giannis, lose to Bucks
By Tony East
The Indiana Pacers looked to avenge their recent loss to the Greek Freak and the Bucks, but they came up short on the road.
Hey, so, it turns out trying to contain a guy who can pretty effortlessly put up 29 points and 12 rebounds is a hard task. Giannis Antetokounmpo played sensationally and the Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers in Milwaukee.
98. 100. 117. 89. Final
The first time these two teams played in Milwaukee back in October, the Bucks won 118-101, so I think we have a pretty good grasp of how much better the Bucks are than the Pacers away from Indy.
The answer is a lot. Even outside of Giannis, the Bucks got contributions from their other All-Star, Khris Middleton, as well as sporadic offerings from a slew of other players. They are really deep and really good, and with the injuries the Pacers have, Indy had little chance.
There were some bright spots. Myles Turner played very well, dropping 22 points and tying his career high with 17 rebounds. He added 3 assists and 3 blocks with it. He was incredibly impactful, knocking down outside shots and playing great defense all night long.
DEFENSIVE
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 8, 2019
PLAYER
OF
THE
YEAR
😤😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/9vkTGYjj7i
A bunch of other guys played decent games, but nobody else played well enough to keep the Pacers in the game. Credit the Bucks defense for shutting everyone down.
The Greek Freak is a…freak
Giannis Antetokounmpo has the perfect nickname. He is a literal freak on the basketball court. He can reach the rim from areas that other players can’t. His strength lets him explode through barriers that nobody else can. He athleticism allows him to get to places faster than anyone else.
Put it all together, and you have an unguardable machine. Giannis was unreal. He has a great MVP candidacy.
Missing Sabonis
Beyond the bench having trouble scoring the ball without Sabonis, tonight it was clear that the Pacers missed him on the glass.
Turner did his part with 17, but nobody else finished with more than 5 rebounds, and the Pacers lost the battle on the boards 52-40. They lost the battle on the offensive glass, too. The extra possessions helped the Bucks a ton.
Tyreke is broken
Tyreke Evans is 6/31 shooting the ball in his last 5 games. Having no Sabonis hurts him, but it shouldn’t hurt him this bad. He’s been atrocious, and the Pacers need more. If this continues, you might have to turn to Aaron Holiday.
Grades time:
DARREN COLLISON. C -. 9 points, 9 assists, 1 turnover. He shot the ball very poorly, making just 2 of his 9 shots. DC was not good enough tonight.. PG. Indiana Pacers
SG. Indiana Pacers. WESLEY MATTHEWS. B -. Matthews provides a lot of spacing since he can get his shot up so quickly. He hit half of his 3s tonight, and his defense was fine, but he couldn’t finish his shots inside the arc well.
BOJAN BOGDANOVIC. B -. 17 much needed points, but it took him 15 shots. Bojan was only fine, nothing more nothing less.. SF. Indiana Pacers
PF. Indiana Pacers. THADDEUS YOUNG. B -. How do I grade Thad’s defense on Giannis? It’s an impossible task either way. Thad did fine for a while, but it clearly impacted his offense.
A -. Turner played great. If only he could have scored a bit more efficiently.. C. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
KYLE O'QUINN. B. O’Quinn was solid, with 5/7 shooting for 11 points and 5 rebounds. He’s no Sabonis, but he’s fine.. C. Indiana Pacers
C -. 2/9 shooting and his defense wasn’t as good as it usually is.. PG. Indiana Pacers. CORY JOSEPH
SG. Indiana Pacers. TYREKE EVANS. F. Evans was 1/6. He’s been really struggling recently, and his shot selection seems bad. He’s got to improve.
SF. Indiana Pacers. DOUG MCDERMOTT. D +. His shot wasn’t falling, and he offers pretty much nothing else.
2 points and 2 rebounds in 10 minutes for Leaf. It wasn’t much. His bigger contribution tonight was being able to play and give Thad rest from guarding the Greek Freak.. PF. Indiana Pacers. TJ LEAF. C +
-. 2 points on 2 shots. Not enough playing time to get a grade.. PG. Indiana Pacers. AARON HOLIDAY
-. Sumner got to play, which makes me very happy, but he didn’t do anything besides throw out an assist.. SG. Indiana Pacers. EDMOND SUMNER
B +. Kept Thad on the floor Giannis without ruining the rotation, enabled Myles to let it fly, but he just didn’t have the talent. Could have gone to the garbage time unit earlier in my opinion.. Head Coach. Indiana Pacers. NATE MCMILLAN
Next. 8P9S NBA Mock Draft 1.0: With the 26th pick, the Indiana Pacers select…. dark
The Pacers continue their run through the brutal March schedule on Sunday in Philly against the 76ers.