Pacers 105, Rockets 95
Pacers 105, Rockets 95: Paul George scored 18 of his game-high 31 points in the opening quarter as the Pacers extended their home winning streak to 11 games.
George was sensational from beyond the arc, connecting on 7 of 10 3-point attempts while adding six rebounds, five steals and three assists. David West chipped in with 20 points, 11 rebounds and a team-high seven assists in the victory.
Omer Asik poured in a career-high 22 points and hauled in 12 rebounds while James Harden and Carlos Delfino added 17 points apiece as the Rockets lost their season-high sixth straight game. Houston finished with 18 turnovers after averaging 17.2 during the first five games of their losing skid.
George soundly outplayed his good friend Harden in the opening half, outscoring him 23-11 as the Pacers went into the break with a 59-52 edge. George's sixth 3-pointer of the night gave Indiana a 15-point advantage with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter, and D.J. Augustin added a 3-pointer with just over a minute left as the Pacers entered the fourth ahead 83-69.
A Patrick Beverley 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining capped a Rockets mini-run that trimmed the deficit to single digits, but the Pacers responded by scoring the next six points. George then added the exclamation point with another 3-pointer later in the period that effectively put the game away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Pacers' home winning streak is the team's longest since reeling off 14 consecutive victories from Nov. 28, 2002-Jan. 26, 2003. ... Harden shot just 5-for-19 from the field but added a career-high four blocked shots. ... George fell short of his career highs in points (37) and 3-pointers made (nine), both set last Nov. 21 against New Orleans.