After a nice bounce-back win over the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers found themselves back in the loss column on Wednesday night, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 140-126.
The Pacers found themselves on the wrong end of a dominant performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who put up a franchise-record 64 points, leading the Bucks to a win.
After the Pacers took down the Bucks in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament, it felt as though there was some room for a get-back game. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday.
As is the case with every game, there were some high and low performances, so let’s take a look at two duds and one stud from the Pacers’ loss to the Bucks, handing out grades along the way.
Dud - Myles Turner
In the finals of the In-Season Tournament, Myles Turner had arguably his worst game of the season, as Anthony Davis was able to get whatever he wanted all night long.
Unfortunately, with Antetokounmpo staring him in the face on Wednesday night, Turner once again struggled to hold up on the defensive end of the floor.
He finished the night with 22 points, nine rebounds, and one block while shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 2-of-2 from distance, but his defense left something to be desired.
Obviously, going up against Antetokounmpo is no easy task, as he’s one of the greatest players to ever step foot on the hardwood, but Turner should still strive to be better defensively.
It wasn’t the worst game he could have played, as he contributed on offense, but it certainly wasn’t ideal.
Grade: C
Stud - Bruce Brown
Despite the brutal loss, Bruce Brown may have had the most complete game of anyone on the Indiana Pacers, as this was exactly the type of performance the team had in mind when they signed him this past summer.
Brown was a positive on both ends of the court, contributing with his playmaking on offense while also giving the Pacers some much-needed help defensively.
His basketball IQ on both ends of the court is one of his best skills, and against the Milwaukee Bucks, his high-level knowledge of the game also translated to the box score.
Brown finished the night with nine points, eight rebounds (three offensive rebounds), nine assists, and two steals while shooting 4-of-10 from the field and 0-of-3 from distance.
While he may not have shot the ball particularly well, Brown’s contributions went far beyond the scoring column, as he led the team in assists against Milwaukee and was second on the Pacers in rebounds.
Plus, Brown was one of the few players on the Pacers who found some success when guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, who looked like an unstoppable force for the majority of the contest.
Brown was the only player in the Pacers’ regular who recorded a positive +/- (+2) in this game, and that’s emblematic of how impactful he was on both sides of the ball.
Grade: B+
Dud - Obi Toppin
Unfortunately for the Indiana Pacers, the Obi Toppin experiment just hasn’t quite worked out as well as they hoped when they traded for him this past summer.
Toppin has had games where he’s balled out, utilizing his freak athleticism to pair beautifully with Tyrese Haliburton, but for the most part, he’s been inconsistent.
The biggest knock on Toppin’s game is his poor defensive play, and that was once again exposed against the Milwaukee Bucks, as he was absolutely mauled by Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 25-year-old forward ended up fouling out of the game, showing just how poorly he held up on the defensive end, albeit against one of the best players in the league.
Toppin finished the game with five points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one block while shooting just 2-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc.
Sooner or later, the Pacers should experiment with other guys in the starting lineup ahead of Toppin, especially considering they have players like Aaron Nesmith and, more importantly, Jarace Walker on the bench.
It seems like only a matter of time before the Pacers decide to replace Toppin in the staring lineup, as while the idea of him on offense is great, his defensive issues have continously shone through.
Grade: D