George, Pacers surge past Nets
INDIANAPOLIS - Paul George (26), Myles Turner (25) and Jeff Teague (21) combined for 72 points, and the Indiana Pacers pulled away from the Brooklyn Nets 121-109 on Thursday night in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Turner added 15 rebounds, and Teague had 15 assists in the Pacers' fourth consecutive victory. Indiana improved to 19-18 and shot 51.6 percent.
Brooklyn (8-26), which lost its 14th consecutive road game, got 16 each from Trevor Booker and Justin Hamilton. The Nets shot 45.6 percent, including 17 of 38 from 3-point range.
The Pacers outscored the Nets 38-32 during the third quarter to lead 97-84 with 12 minutes remaining. George had a 10-point third quarter, helping the Pacers shoot 56 percent (14 of 25) in the period.
Indiana began the second half on a 13-7 run, capped by a George 3-pointer at the 9:03 mark, and the Pacers had a 72-59 lead. Indiana continued to dominate the third quarter, expanding its advantage to 80-63 at the 7:13 mark.
The Pacers scored the first half's final eight points - six from Turner and a George jumper - to lead 59-52 through 24 minutes.
Indiana led by as many 13 during the first quarter, but Brookyn made eight 3-pointers during the first two periods and outrebounded the Pacers 25-17 to stay within striking distance.
Booker led the Nets with 14 first-half points, and Teague led Indiana with 15. George added 12 for the Pacers.
The Pacers shot 55.6 percent in the first half, and the Nets shot 42.2 percent, including 8 of 20 from beyond the arc.
NOTES: The Nets were without F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (right hip tendinitis) and G Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring). ... The Pacers were without G Rodney Stuckey (sore left hamstring). ... Brooklyn came in with a league-worst 1-16 road record. ... Indiana came in 13-5 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... The Pacers entered with a season-best three-game winning streak. ... At 22.4 points per game, Indiana F Paul George ranks 18th in the NBA in scoring. ... Brooklyn ranks last in NBA defense, allowing 114 points per game. ... Indiana ranks 21st in NBA defense, allowing 106.1 points. ... The Pacers are the league's second-best free throw shooting team at 81.7 percent. ... The teams split two earlier meetings. The Nets won 103-94 on Oct. 28 in Brooklyn and the Pacers won 118-97 on Nov. 25 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... The teams meet one more time on Feb. 3 at Brooklyn.