Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan talks about the team's second half comeback and fans' love for Victor Oladipo, after the team's 123-119 win over the Brooklyn Nets in overtime, Banker's Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. Jenna Watson/IndyStar
INDIANAPOLIS – It's patented now.
When he first pointed at the ground and shouted, "This is my city," after a game winning shot against San Antonio, Victor Oladipo was just celebrating. It was a random gesture with little meaning.
But when he pulls out that celebration now, like he did during the fourth quarter and into the closing minutes of a wild 123-119 overtime Indiana Pacers win, he knows what he's doing.
"Oh yeah," Oladipo said with a grin. "The coolest thing now, is I see them doing it. The fans are doing it back."
As the fifth-year guard made key plays down the stretch to rack up 38 points and secure a win after the Pacer trailed by as many as 19, the fans went wild when he claimed Indianapolis.
Then they let the "MVP" chants rain. Oladipo says it's too early to start talking about accolades, since even the All-Star game is still more than a month away.
But his teammates are relishing this, too.
"It's pretty fun," said Myles Turner, who put up 23 points, nine rebounds and tied a career high with six blocks. "We're right there along with him.
"We tell Vic, 'Just go man.' He plays with so much energy, so much pop and ... it's great that he's being embraced by these fans here."
The Pacers looked groggy in the first half, but leaned on Turner, Stephenson and their go-to guy to take over in the second. With this win, the Pacers (19-14) improve to 3-0 against the Nets (12-20).
► BOX SCORE: Pacers 123, Nets 119, OT
Here are three takeaways:
Another slow start, another big comeback
The Nets led by as many as 19 in the first half. They were dominant from the first possession, working the ball through Tyler Zeller inside and eventually moving to the 3-point shot. They were 9-of-18 from distance in the first half, while the Pacers went just 2-of-4.
The Nets started early on building what would end up a 51-41 advantage on the boards. A whopping 18 of those came on the offensive glass, but that was mostly in the second half when they finally started missing.
Slow starts have plagued the Pacers, but they’ve made a habit of storming out in the second half and making things interesting. In six of seven games ahead of Saturday’s, they fell behind by at least double digits. Five of those deficits were 16 points or more.
"I don't know what's happening," McMillan said after the game. "It's a different team the second half. And, they remained positive throughout that first half and the second half ... they came out and had a great third quarter."
They followed this same script last home game against the Boston Celtics, and only lost because of a string of miscues in the final seconds. Not this time. Stephenson did his typical thing off the bench, scoring 11 and getting the crowd on its feet to help Turner lead a half as impressive as the first was lacking.
The center played possessed in the third quarter, racking up 12 quick points with two 3-pointers and adding two key blocks. Turner finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, six blocks and an assist.
