INDIANAPOLIS — victor Oladipo goes do n with what boyz say was a gruesome right knee injury during the second quarter of the Pacers 110-106 win over the Toronto Raptors. I says boyz say because they covered his knee with a towel so fast that you really couldn’t see what happen or what it looked like. That’s never good.
However, his teammates regrouped and finished the task at hand.
It was chaos in the first 7 minutes or so with both teams trying to find a rhythm. Neither could hit an elephant in the butt with a base fiddle getting out of the car. It was 12-9 on the first timeout. After the break in action the Pacers got on track and started shooting the rock with some consistency. At the end of the first quarter the Blue and Gold was up 24-16.
Side Note: The refs in this game must have gotten a memo that everyone came to see them because they were on some foolishness for real. In my Charles Barkley voice, “Terrible.” They must have eaten whatever the refs in the NFC Championship game were eating.
The Pacers started the second quarter battling to score the ball. Every player that entered the game for Nate McMillan was scoring. Just as the Pacers were finding a rhythm Victor Oladipo goes down. His leg buckled and he went down. The trainers ran onto the court and immediately covered his knee with a towel. From all accounts it was a gruesome it was a gruesome injury.
It was so bad that he was taken off of the floor on a stretcher. He’s going to have an MRI tomorrow according to Nate McMillan as he spoke with the media after the game.
Indiana was fortunate to get to the break up 59-47 with Myles Turner leading the Pacers with 9 points. They had only 2 turnovers in the first half with 16 of their 27 assists.
Indiana comes out of the brake and goes to work on the Raptors and by the time I bit into my hot dog good they were up 74-59 without their fearless leader, Victor Oladipo. Toronto continued to fight but the Pacers kept them at arms length throughout the third quarter ending the period up 84-75.
The Raptors get back to within 3 point to make it 93-90 with about 6:20 left to play when Thaddeus Young knocks down a three to extend the Pacers lead to 96-90.
Toronto continued to hang around and with 4:17 left they were down only 98-97. Thaddeus Young kept knocking down big shots and he gets an And 1 to put the Pacers up 101-97with 3:48 left.
Myles turner knocks down two crucial free throws with 48 seconds left to go to put the Pacers m up 105-101. Then raptors hit a three to get to within one to make it 105-104 with 31.6 seconds left. Thad Young again knocks a big shot down to go up 107-104 with 10.8 left. Danny Green misses a 3 point attempt and it bounces over the backboard. Turnover and Pacers ball with 7.8 left. Tyreke Evans is fouled and shoots two. He knocks them down like a G as Pacers go up 109-104 to seal the deal. VanFleet gets a layup to make it 109-106. Karl Lowery then fouls out with a foul on Darren Collison missed the first free throw and hits the second and it’s ball game 110-106 Pacers.
Thad Young leads the Pacers with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Darren Collison falls through with 17 as Myles Turner drops off 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Prayers up for Vic!!!