Myles

Turner

Turner has shot 50 percent or better from the field in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s also recorded a complete stat line in each game, which has been good news for those competing in playoff fantasy leagues and DFS tournaments. The negative for Turner and the Pacers was that they failed to come up with an answer for Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Turner and the Pacers will look to rebound when they host Game 4 on Tuesday.

Turner has struggled with rebounding thus far. That said, he recorded complete stat lines in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, which the Pacers lead two games to none. Turner played 33 minutes on Friday, and the gap between him and New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns from a production standpoint was far smaller than in Wednesday’s series opener. Turner and the Pacers will look to take a 3-0 lead when they host Game 3 on Sunday night.

Turner got off to a hot start to this game and contributed 11 points in the first quarter without missing a shot. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to add much after that, and he sat almost the entire fourth quarter before returning for overtime. Though Indiana was able to steal Game 1 on the road, Turner will need to be much better than he was after the first quarter of this game if they hope to advance to the NBA Finals.

For the fourth time in Indiana’s last six games, Turner scored 20 points. This time, it only took him 22 minutes. Turner has been a big part of the offense recently, and the strategy is working; they are 4-0 when he scores at least 20 points during this postseason, and they’re 17-2 over the course of the entire season when he reaches 20 points. Turner will continue to feature heavily in the offense in Game 5 as the Pacers look to close out this series.

Mathurin has been getting into it with De’Andre Hunter all series, and more of the same resulted in an early departure for Mathurin, who scored 23 points in Game 3. Mathurin gave Hunter a shot to the chest, and Hunter retaliated by pushing Mathurin on the ground. Myles Turner gave Hunter a shoulder to defend Mathurin, and both Hunter and Turner were assessed technicals. However, Mathurin, who stood over Hunter after he dislocated his thumb in Game 1, was assessed a Flagrant 2. Ben Sheppard will likely take on extra minutes after Mathurin’s night lasted only one minute.

While Turner had a decent night in the points and blocked shot categories, the rebounding left something to be desired. Aaron Nesmith (7/7/1 with one three-pointer) and T.J. McConnell (12/6/7) both recorded more rebounds than the Pacers’ starting center, and Indiana gave up 18 offensive boards on the night. That doesn’t all fall on Turner’s shoulders, but Indiana needs him to be more impactful on the glass, especially with Evan Mobley returning in the Cavaliers’ lineup. He’ll look to rebound when the Pacers host Game 4 on Sunday.

While Turner had 23 points on 17 shots in Game 2, his biggest impact came on the defensive end as a rim protector. The 29-year-old center had five blocks and made things difficult on the Cavaliers when they opted to drive into the paint. Turner had an easier time down low on the offensive end with Evan Mobley (ankle) out for Game 2, though he still stepped out and hit two three-pointers. He’ll continue to be counted on a key player for the Pacers as they head home with a 2-0 series lead.

After failing to record a double-double during the Pacers’ first-round series against the Bucks, Turner accomplished that feat on Sunday. He recorded a complete stat line, holding his own against Cleveland’s tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Turner’s rebounds will be key in this series, as will his ability to step away from the basket and hit perimeter shots. Game 2 is on Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Turner tallied at least 20 points for the second time in as many games as the Pacers finished off the Bucks. The sharp-shooting center came up big on the offensive end and finished as Indiana’s second-leading scorer for the game, falling just one rebound shy of a double-double. Turner failed to record a block or a steal but will have another chance to fill up the stat sheet when Indiana heads to Cleveland for a second-round battle with the Cavaliers.

Turner thoroughly outplayed Bucks center Brook Lopez in Game 4, rebounding from a 1-of-9 effort in Indiana’s Game 3 loss on Friday. Impactful on both ends of the floor, Turner’s production was one reason why the Pacers head back home with a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 is on Tuesday, and teams that hold a 3-1 lead have won 95.5 percent of the series in NBA playoff history.