George helps Pacers rally past Kings in OT
INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George scored six of his 33 points in overtime, and the Indiana Pacers rallied to defeat the Sacramento Kings 115-111 on Friday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
George's basket with 31.8 seconds remaining broke a 111-111 tie, and after Garrett Temple and Darren Collison each missed potential game-tying shots with 7.1 and 2.0 seconds remaining, Jeff Teague made two game-clinching free throws with 0.4 seconds to play.
Indiana (24-22) improved to 3-18 when trailing after three quarters and 2-7 in the second game of a back to back.
CJ Miles added 18 for the Pacers, Jeff Teague had 17 points and eight assists and Myles Turner scored 14. Indiana shot 48.7 percent (38 of 78).
DeMarcus Cousins and Collison each scored 26 for the Kings (18-28). Ty Lawson scored 16 and Arron Afflalo had 15. Sacramento shot 49.3 percent (35 of 71).
George made six free throws during the final 2:30 to force overtime tied at 104. George missed a potential game-winner with 0.6 seconds left, and then Cousins missed a tip at the buzzer that would have given the Kings a victory.
Thanks to 9 of 10 free-throw shooting, the Pacers trimmed a nine-point halftime deficit to 87-81 through three quarters. The Kings led by as many as 16 in the third quarter.
The Kings grabbed a 64-55 halftime lead in large part because they sank 11 of 16 shots from 3-point range during the opening 24 minutes. Overall, Sacramento made 21 of 34 field goal attempts in the first two quarters when it also outrebounded Indiana, 21-11.
Collison scored 15 first-half points, and Cousins added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Kings. George had 11 points, and Turner added nine for the Pacers, who made 22 of 42 field goal attempts before intermission. Indiana did convert 10 Sacramento turnovers into 12 points.
NOTES: The Kings were without F Omri Casspi (right plantaris tendon strain) and F Rudy Gay (torn left Achilles tendon). ... The Pacers were without G Rodney Stuckey (sore left hamstring). ... Sacramento was playing the fifth of a season-long, eight-game road trip, having won at Detroit (109-104) on Monday and at Cleveland (116-112 in OT) on Wednesday. ... Indiana was playing the second game of a back-to-back after getting 32 points from F Paul George in Thursday night's 109-103 victory at Minnesota, snapping a three-game losing streak. ... The Kings rank ninth in opponents' turnovers per game (14.9) and 10th in steals (8.2). ... The Pacers rank third in free throw percentage (81.6) and third in steals (8.7). ... Indiana snapped a four-game losing streak against Sacramento, rallying from a 22-point, first-half deficit for a 106-100 victory on Jan. 18 in California.