Pacers Last Week: Jan. 8 — Oladipo received 251K fan votes, Bogdanovic sidelined, Slick hospitalized, Wilkins released

A lot happens each week with the Pacers and it’s not easy to stay on top of it. Introducing a new weekly feature, Pacers Last Week, which should help keep you up-to-date on all things Pacers.

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

  • The Pacers are 20-19.
  • And they lacked energy and intensity, Al Jefferson said, in their home loss to Minnesota. Not the way they wanted to close out 2017 — with a dud, and their fourth loss in a row.
  • Myles Turner had one point in that game. A technical foul shot. Afterwards, he spent more than three hours in the practice gym, along at a basket, trying to get it right and to refocus.
  • It was a quiet week overall with three games and two days rest in between.
  • First returns for All-Star voting was released by the NBA and Victor Oladipo was third among guards in the East, receiving 251,886. He was behind only Boston’s Kyrie Irving and Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan. Fan voting concludes on Monday, Jan. 15 at 11:59 pm ET.
  • Saturday was dubbed “Basketball Day Indiana” with FOX Sports Indiana televising six games, plus a time slot that they treated similarly to NFL Red Zone – where they bounced around to three different games. It was the second straight year for FSI to celebrate hoops in this basketball state.
  • Hall of Famer Slick Leonard, who serves as the Pacers Radio Analyst for home games, is hospitalized at IU Health North after falling on the ice Saturday.
  • Oladipo returned Saturday after being sidelined for four games with a sore right knee. He had 23 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in 23 minutes to help the Pacers snap their season-long five-game losing streak.
  • A sprained left ankle caused Bojan Bogdanovic to miss his first game of the season on Saturday. He started in each of the first 38 games, and coach McMillan expects him back Monday night.
  • Damien Wilkins started his first game in six seasons Saturday against the Chicago Bulls, a 39-point Pacers win. He finished with a season-high 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one block in 22 minutes.
  • And then the veteran, who turns 38 on Thursday, was released by the Pacers Sunday before the 5:00 pm deadline when his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of the season.
  • Glenn Robinson III resumed practicing with the team – for the first time since October. He suffered a camp injury to his left ankle that required surgery to repair of medial and lateral ligaments.

Previously —

  • Jonathan Byrd’s Fieldhouse, the 88,000-square-foot complex in Westfield with eight basketball courts, is now officially the Pacers Athletic Center after the franchise bought the naming rights. It will be home to the Jr. NBA Pacers as part of the Jr. NBA Flagship Network, among many other things. It hosts more than 50,000 kids from 5-18 years old each year for an estimated 10,000 games played.
  • Lance Stephenson hosted 14 families to a holiday party at the Dayspring Center Family Emergency Center and provided toy giveaways to kids.

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