The beginning of this game looked all too familiar with Pacers fans. A random player started lighting the Pacers up in ways they don’t normally (hello 3 point shooting Julius Randle!), the team fell far behind, and the Pacers looked dispirited. Luckily, the 2nd unit wasn’t having any of it.
The entire 2nd unit finished between +9 and +18, as the reserves rallied back late in the 2nd quarter to cut the 20 point lead down to 13 at the half. Wes Matthews took over from there, putting up a ridiculous 3rd quarter. Matthews scored 15 in the frame, and would probably still be making 3’s now if he hadn’t caught a Thad Young elbow during a rebound and left with a bloody nose (he returned later and was fine).