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The Indiana Pacers started their pre-season with an easy win against the Houston Rockets.
The Indiana Pacers won their first game of the 2018-19 campaign with a win over the Houston Rockets for the kickoff of the pre-season:
Indiana Pacers
110
Houston rockets
100
The match was tied at 73, but the Pacers managed to come off with a big fourth quarter led by Domantas Sabonis. He was both the offensive initiator and the finisher of the game, doing a bit of everything for the offensive to continue.
The team was led by none other than Victor Oladipo, because duh. He had 24 points in 24 minutes and he looked like his former player (devil, maybe even better) throughout the match.
Good: Saint Moly, Edmond Sumner! With Tyreke Evans dismissed by injury, Sumner was the fourth goalkeeper of the rotation and he was outstanding. It was literally his first time extended on an NBA pitch, and he looked like one of the best players:
Sumner finished the game with 13 points in 18 minutes and shot 6/8 on the field. He was a +18 and had several pieces highlighted. Welcome to the NBA.
The bad: Doug McDermott played 35 minutes and scored just two points. His outside shot did not fall at all, he missed his four looks from the other side of the bow. In addition, his defense looked as mediocre as what had been announced before he signed with the team. He was under 13 and had a rough introduction to Indiana Pacers fans.
MVP: Victor Oladipo is always the MVP when he plays like that. Scoring a point per minute on 50 percent shooting is a MVP trick. Vic had it tonight and it looks like he's going to have another murderous season.
LVP: Sorry, Darren Collison. It was not your night. 2/10 of the field and two turnovers mean that DC does not really help in attack outside of the ground spacing. Nothing really stuck, and he looked worse than his replacement Cory Joseph in this one. This was not the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign that DC was hoping for.
X factor: Sabonis. He had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and he sometimes brought the team to the fourth quarter. His +17 was one of the best numbers of the team and it was an integral part of the victory.
Now let's assign some notes.
The LVP. He was not able to hit shots and his assist / turn-over ratio, which was at the top of last season's standings, was not equal in this game. He should rebound when he does not match Chris Paul.
Victor Oladipo was Victor Oladipo. Season two of Indianapolis, owner of Vic, is coming soon.
Bojan quietly beat 60% of his five-point shots in this one, including a drummer buzzer to finish the third quarter. He was not good at it, but Babo Baretta was solid overall.
Four fouls (Sabonis 'biggest trap last season) were the only things to piss off with Domas' performance. He looked good on the post and on the window, and was totally blocked during a James Ennis dunk attempt.
Go hang out with Thad in a place where none of you can further aggravate your injury. Just be healthy.
CoJo had a nice sneaky finish under the basket and he looked comfortable at the head of the second unit with Tyreke Evans put out. He also hit 57 percent of his shots and was a +13. Overall, it was a solid match of an underrated player.
Domantas Sabonis found McD on a nice back cut that would have led to a nice bucket if there was not a foul off-ball. Outside the cup, McD looked really bad, though. The outside shot must fall.
O'Quinn did not play and will not play much when Sabonis and Turner are in good health. But he was smiling and happy as always.
So, uh, Leaf was like, pretty good? Nobody saw it coming after a bad summer league, but TJ seemed really effective, especially on the offensive glass. He scored seven offensive rebounds and scored a double-double. His defense was suspicious, but he looked like an NBA player, which is a considerable advance over last year.
Aaron Holiday scored his first NBA points at the free throw line in this one, which is great. His three points came from the streak of charity and he missed his one shot. He looked comfortable with the ball, so his brief playing time was admirable.
Ike did not play while McMillan decided to push for the win and play his real trick. Maybe we'll see him soon.
After seeing Alize singing "Just Dance" at the fan party, we just saw it in this one. I am excited to observe this guy, I hope that he will soon be able to play.
Sumner was by far the biggest surprise of the match. He was able to play through Tyreke's injury, but he looked awesome as a fire marshal, doing a bit of everything on offense. Part of the athletics that makes him such an attractive prospect is back. Sumner could become a contributor this season.
Moore did not play, which is a shame because he is fighting for a spot in the lineup.
After being acquired by the organization not so long ago, Johnson removed this one. Maybe we'll see him later in the pre-season.
After being disguised as a banana (understand it, that 's why it was rotting!) At a fan jam, Stewart did not not had the opportunity to play in this one. Like Johnson and Moore, we'll probably see him later in the playoffs.
The next Pacers match will be held in Memphis on Saturday. Maybe we'll see more guys play in this game. Stay tuned for better coverage before the season.
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