Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks

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The Indiana Pacers turned in an ugly fourth quarter collapse at the Garden in their loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

The Good: Having started the game rather slow, Indiana picked up the effort in the second quarter and ended up turning the ball over just nine times compared to New York’s 14, while forcing 10 steals. This translated to winning the points off turnover battle despite failing to stay tight defensively in the waning minutes.

The Bad: The second night of a back-to-back is always difficult, especially when at home the first game and on the road in the second. Ending the night shooting 13/23 from outside the arc, the hosts capitalized on 10/15 from range in the second half as Indiana could not come up with enough of an answer on the other end. It was the Knicks’ first win after trailing through three quarters (previously 0-12). We also saw the first blip of the “Glenn Robinson III is starting” era.

MVP: It was tough, but Myles Turner earns MVP honors for his noteworthy 21 points and 9 boards while showing his range. Often finding himself drifting to the top of the key, Turner was able to knock down half of his attempts from downtown (2/4) and also hit 7/8 from the line.

LVP: Lavoy Allen. Zero points and three boards in 11 minutes of action. A true non-factor.

X-Factor: A complimentary positive to the play of Turner was a big night from Al Jefferson, who finished with 18 points on 8/11 shooting. However, after steamrolling his way to 14 points with 9:30 left in the second quarter, the big man slowed down the production in his 15 minutes of action.

Paul George

Small Forward, Indiana Pacers

BNot a terrible night for George, he finished with 16 points on 6-16 shooting but failed to take over a game that was desperate for a leader. After helping to lock down a win over the Wizards on Monday with a big fourth quarter, he could not replicate the same against New York.

Jeff Teague

Point Guard, Indiana Pacers

B+Moments of shaky decision-making were overshadowed by 17 points and 12 assists on 5-13 shooting, while also chipping in 7 rebounds. Working his way to the line, Teague led the way with 7/9 from the charity strike and only turned the ball over once. It was his defensive effort that needed to go up a notch, and it showed come the fourth quarter.

Myles Turner

Center, Indiana Pacers

AEven through the loss, Turner gets an A for nearly notching up another double-double. He took some poor shots down the stretch but was one of few trying to make things happen when the going got tough. He also showed his quality from the line hitting 7-8 total and proved a tough guard for one of Noah/Porzingis. His four blocks didn’t hurt, either.

Thaddeus Young

Power Forward, Indiana Pacers

B+Thad Young also proved incredibly useful in a tight contest, scoring 21 points on 9/17 shooting while securing 7 rebounds in the process. Knocking down a pair of triples, Young hit a couple of important shots from distance in the early part of the fourth quarter and has continued to develop his game offensively.

Glenn Robinson III

Small Forward, Indiana Pacers

C-The only thing that saved Robinson III’s grade from dropping lower was his defense on Anthony in the first half. He only managed 3 points, 2 assists, and 3 boards on 1/7 shooting in 33 minutes of floor time. It wasn’t a great second half for the recent starter.

C.J. Miles

Shooting Guard, Indiana Pacers

CHe hit 7/8 from the free throw line, but outside of that, it was a night to forget shooting-wise for C.J. Miles. He ended the night with 11 points and 7 boards but on just 2/8 shooting (2/5 from distance) and never managed to get going in his 26 minutes.

Al Jefferson

Center, Indiana Pacers

AAl Jefferson also gets an A for his effort tonight. Though he was slowed down by being double-teamed in the second half, his 14 points between the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter helped create early separation between the two teams. It was an incredibly efficient night for Jefferson.

Lavoy Allen

Power Forward, Indiana Pacers

FNothing noteworthy from Allen, who missed his one attempt of the game and failed to keep track of Kristaps Porzingis on the defensive end. It was never going to be easy for him guarding the versatile Latvian, but he hardly even put up a fight in his 11 minutes.

Aaron Brooks

Point Guard, Indiana Pacers

CNot bad, not great for Aaron Brooks, who finished with 4 points and 3 assists in just over 10 minutes of action. He hit half his shots (2/4) but missed both of his looks from outside the arc. He’s still struggling to create as the backup PG, but with Mighty Joe Young keeping the bench as warm as your holiday fire, his spot seems secure.

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