NBA Hoosiers (Dec. 23): Oladipo Shines in Pacers' Opener; Zeller Breaks Hand
It took a little while for Victor Oladipo to get going Wednesday night, but when he did the Indiana Pacers rode his coattails to a 121-107 victory over the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana trailed by five halftime, but then Oladipo scored the first 11 points of the third quarter, and then assisted on four of the next five Pacers' baskets. He finished the 22 points, four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes, and had just one turnover.
"When he gets going downhill, when he gets the opponent on their heels in attack mode, he's really tough to guard," new Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren said after earning his first NBA victory. "That's what we need on this team. We're trying to create that space, and then we need to drive and get to the rim."
Fellow All-Star Domantas Sabonis had 32 points and 13 rebounds for Indiana, Myles Turner had a career-high eight blocks, and point guard Malcolm Brodgon had 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
"This is a great win," Oladipo said. "Congrats to Coach for his first win, that's big time. We can be a really good team. We've just got to build on it, but it was a great first night."
Other 'Hoosiers in the Pros' on Wednesday
- CODY ZELLER, Charlotte Hornets: Cody Zeller waited nine months to get back to playing because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Charlotte center lasted only 19 minutes before fracturing his hand in the Hornets' season opener. He's going to miss some time, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he could be out 4-6 weeks. Zeller had six points, three rebounds and three steals. Charlotte lost the game to Cleveland, 121-114.
- THOMAS BRYANT, Washington Wizards: Bryant started at center for the Wizards and scored 10 points and had five rebounds in Washington's 113-107 loss in Philadelphia.
- OG ANUNOBY, Toronto Raptors: Anunoby had eight points and eight rebounds in the Raptors season-opening 113-99 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He struggled from long range, missing all five three-point attempts. The Raptors are playing their home games in Tampa, Fla., this year because of COVID-19 travel restrictions in and out of Canada.
- JUWAN MORGAN, Utah Jazz: Morgan played just three minutes for the Jazz in their 120-100 win over Portland, and he failed to score.
- ERIC GORDON, Houston Rockets: The Rockets' season opener was postposed because three Rockets players tested positive for COVID-19 and four others had to be quarantined because of contact tracing. The Rockets didn't name the players that tested positive.
Around the NBA
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Previous 'Hoosiers in the Pros' stories
- ERIC GORDON'S NEW ROLE: New Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas wants to get the most out of Eric Gordon's scoring potential, so he's going to use him off the bench in a sixth-man role to start the season. CLICK HERE
- NEW PATH FOR YOGI FERRELL: After struggling to find a new home during this offseason, Yogi Ferrell was signed by the Utah Jazz but will start the season in the G-League. CLICK HERE
- OG ANUNOBY GETS NEW DEAL: OG Anunoby has been an important piece in the Toronto Raptors' postseason runs, and he was rewarded with a new four-year, $72 million contract this week. CLICK HERE
- CODY ZELLER BACK IN ACTION: Cody Zeller looks to build on a career year after averaging 11 points and seven rebounds last season for the Charlotte Hornets. CLICK HERE
