Paul George took his first career loss against the Indiana Pacers as they came back to beat the Thunder.
With about 18 minutes to go in the game, the Indiana Pacers trailed the Oklahoma City Thunder by 19 points. When the clock struck 0, the Pacers had the lead and the win.
What a game. It had it all. Drama. Narratives. Injuries. Adversity. It was a truly phenomenal basketball game, and it had a playoff atmosphere. The Pacers found it inside them to will their way back and win. It was as gutsy of a win as they come.
The difference down the stretch was the Pacers mixing it up. They closed much of the final minutes of the game with both Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, something they rarely do. It worked perfectly in this game, as Turner’s D and Sabonis’ O were both needed fully. The Thunder didn’t have a perfect answer for the giant duo.
Paul George had a very good game, dropping 36 points. But down the stretch, he couldn’t score and get the Thunder the lead. That’s because his matchup, Wesley Matthews, had a fantastic defensive possession:
Wes Matthews. Clamps. pic.twitter.com/YLQ7SpPAG2
— Tony East (@TonyREast) March 15, 2019
And then Matthews continued his clutch play by hitting the game-winner. He was immense down the stretch.
When @WessyWes23 sealed it... pic.twitter.com/uFEoY9Dqf8
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 15, 2019
A huge win.
My goodness, this win could not have been bigger. It was against one of the best Pacers players ever. It consisted of a huge comeback. And it kicked off a brutal stretch of games.
Getting a confidence-building win to start this stretch was absolutely massive.
Closing with two centers
Apparently, Thaddeus Young himself was the mastermind behind the closing frontcourt not featuring him.
Wow. Nate McMillan says Thad Young was supposed to sub back in in the fourth quarter but Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis were playing so well that Thad note Nate, "Let them go."
— Wheat Hotchkiss (@Wheat_Hotchkiss) March 15, 2019
Tremendous leadership from the #Pacers captain.
Beyond the incredible leadership from Thad, the Turner-Sabonis closing duo was awesome. They might be the frontcourt of the future, so getting a glimpse of that is intriguing.
The playoff rotation?
Only 8 guys got actual minutes in this game (TJ Leaf got 4 minutes in the first half). Perhaps this minutes distribution could be what the Pacers go to in the postseason since most teams cut down their rotation in the playoffs.
Time for player grades:
The Pacers next take on the Nuggets in Denver at 9 PM on St. Patricks Day.