Pacers 98, Timberwolves 84

George Hill had a season-high 26 points and Indiana's defense suffocated visiting Minnesota en route to its fourth straight win.

Hill shot 9-for-13 while adding seven assists and five steals as the Pacers improved to 8-0 at home. Paul George added 26 points while David West had 13.

Kevin Love's 20 points and 17 rebounds paced the Timberwolves, who shot just 32.6 percent from the field while converting 3-of-19 3-point attempts. Kevin Martin poured in 18 points while Nikola Pekovic added 18 points and 11 boards.

Hill's 18 points trumped Kevin Love's first-half double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) as the Pacers carried a 48-46 advantage into the break. No team led by more than six points until late in a tightly-contested third quarter that saw Minnesota make just two field goals in the final 5:48 and West convert a pair of short shots down the stretch to give the Pacers into a 73-68 lead entering the fourth.

The Indiana defense took over early in the final period, forcing nine straight Minnesota misses - including an emphatic block by Ian Mahinmi on Corey Brewer's layup attempt - as the Pacers opened up an 11-point advantage. Mahinmi converted a driving layup while being fouled by Pekovic and finished off the three-point play to make it 85-70 with just over seven minutes remaining, Lance Stephenson added a breakaway dunk on the next possession and Indiana cruised from there.

GAME NOTEBOOK: George has scored 20 or more points in 12 of his first 14 games. ... Pacers C Roy Hibbert, who spent most of the game in foul trouble, finished with four points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. ... Love has a league-leading 15 double-doubles through his first 16 games.
Final1st2nd3rd4thScore
Indiana PacersPacers2820252598
Minnesota TimberwolvesTimberwolves2422221684
IndianaMinnesota
Pts:George Hill26Kevin Love20
Reb:Luis Scola8Kevin Love17
Ast:George Hill7Ricky Rubio7
Season Series
IndianaStatsMinnesota
1-1Vs1-1
94.5Points / Game94.0
44.9Field Goal %40.1
37.83 Point %23.1
67.6Free Throw %69.5