Pacers at Nets
Fresh off a stunning victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets will get another chance to play spoiler when they host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Indiana strengthened its hold on the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans but lost All-Star forward Paul George in the process.
George left the 92-84 victory in the third quarter with a contusion in his lower right leg – the same leg he broke in gruesome fashion while playing for USA basketball in the summer of 2014 – and did not return. "He's moving around. He'll be OK,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel told reporters of his star, who downplayed the injury following the game and is considered day-to-day. Indiana could use George against the Nets, who allowed the opposing small forward (LeBron James) to go for 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting on Thursday. Brooklyn managed to shut down nearly everyone else on the Cleveland roster and even held James scoreless as it outscored the Cavaliers 24-12 in the fourth quarter en route to a 104-95 triumph.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE PACERS (38-33): C.J. Miles came in to pick up some of the slack when George went down and Myles Turner celebrated his 20th birthday with 24 points and 16 rebounds in Thursday’s win. “That kid just plays as hard as he can every time he's out there,” Vogel told reporters of Turner. “Sometimes he makes mistakes, sometimes he gets it going. He's a big-time threat. He's improving and he's working hard on the defensive end. He did have a little bit of an extra bounce (Thursday).” Indiana enters play on Friday just a half-game ahead of eighth-place Detroit and two clear of the ninth-place Chicago Bulls in the East.
ABOUT THE NETS (20-51): Interim coach Tony Brown vowed after a 105-100 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday to give the most playing time to the guys showing the most effort, and 11 different players logged at least 13 minutes against the Cavaliers. “The energy was definitely way up,” Brown told reporters. “Our intensity was up.” Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Sean Kilpatrick each scored in double figures off the bench while veteran center Brook Lopez continued his steady play with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hollis-Jefferson is 7-of-12 from the field in the last two games after missing the previous 50 games with an ankle injury.
2. George is 7-of-27 from 3-point range in the last four contests.
3. Indiana took each of the first two meetings this season, including a 114-100 victory at Brooklyn on Feb. 3.