Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from 2017-18 season opener
By Tony East
3. Cory Joseph is awesome
The box score (11 points, four assists, 4-of-10 shooting) does not do Cory Joseph justice. Within the reserves for the Indiana Pacers, everyone had a negative plus-minus…except for Cory Joseph.
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Joseph, on only 40 percent shooting, was a +7 off the bench. He did an awesome job guarding Spencer Dinwiddie on the second unit, holding him to 1-of-5 shooting from the field. He also made one of his two 3-pointers and both of his free throws.
Most importantly, his impact was shown at the end of the game. He was in the closing lineup at the 2-guard. With the Pacers holding a slim lead down the stretch, Nate McMillan put Joseph in the game due to his defensive capabilities in order to preserve the lead. It worked, as the Indiana Pacers pulled out a nine-point win.
Currently, the Pacers are undefeated. Given that they scored a blistering 140 points, they may be much better than anyone thought, and they could keep up these winning ways. However, they gave up 131 points, so maybe their defense will lead them to a poor record.
Regardless, they won their first game and are heading into Friday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers with a win, and Joseph played a big part in it.