We dinged Lance Stephenson in PBT’s nightly grades because he clearly went hunting for the triple double — he shot 6-of-7 down the stretch and was obviously making plays to get to his 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Still, that is his third triple double of the season to lead the NBA.
He was a fantastic playmaker for Indiana on Sunday, finding open guys all over the court — he seems to have a real chemistry developing with Danny Granger. He also was making shots for the first three quarters and looked like the best player on the court (or at least the best one not named Paul George).
Granger being back doesn’t move Stephenson out of the starting lineup — Granger is the sixth man, Indiana needs more games like this one from Stephenson.