Notebook: Pacers 117, Hornets 108

Posted Tuesday February 21, 2012 11:27PM

By Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The closer the All-Star Game gets, the more Roy Hibbert is looking like he belongs. Indiana's 7-foot-2 center racked up a career-high 30 points, including a pair of second-chance buckets in a 13-2 overtime run that blew the game open, as the Pacers survived a determined effort by New Orleans for a 117-108 victory Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Hibbert added 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double and 14th of the season and all five Indiana starters scored in double figures. That included Hibbert's fellow All-Star Weekend participant, Paul George, who scored 20 as he warms up for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge and the Sprite Slam Dunk contest. The Pacers (20-12) won their third in a row while the Hornets (7-25) dropped their second straight despite 21 points from Trevor Ariza.

QUOTABLE: "That's good but more importantly we won the game. This is one game. We must wrap it up and move on."
-- Hibbert on his career high

THE STAT: In recording three consecutive double-doubles, Hibbert has racked up 61 points (20.3), 38 rebounds (12.7) and shot 23-for-36 (63.9 percent).

TURNING POINT: After trailing most of the night, Indiana put together a 15-5 run to take a 97-92 lead on a Hibbert tip-in with 1:28 remaining. But Gustavo Ayon scored three straight baskets as the Hornets cut it to 99-98 and after Darren Collison missed a free throw, Ariza sent it to overtime with a fallaway jumper with 5.1 seconds remaining. Danny Granger opened the extra session with a 3-pointer that kick-started the Pacers, who scored on their first six possessions to open a 113-102 lead.

QUOTABLE II: "They came out shooting, fighting and clawing. They shot very well in the first half. We knew that (Hornets coach) Monty (Williams) would have them ready to play and that we would have to be up to the challenge. We were able to weather the storm. And in the fourth quarter, put things together and keep them together. In the overtime, we had a couple of putbacks and it was just being aggressive and having toughness on our part."
-- Indiana's David West on his first game against his former team

HOT: Hibbert shot 11-for-17 overall and was 8-for-12 from the free throw line. Collison shot 8-for-11 as the Indiana starters combined for a season-high 98 points. ... Chris Kaman continued his resurgent play for New Orleans with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting, and Jarrett Jack came off the bench to produce 19 points, 10 assists and five rebounds for the Hornets.

NOT: Granger's 3-pointer in overtime salvaged a forgettable night in which he shot 4-for-14, including 2-for-7 from the arc.

QUOTABLE III: "They were in our paint all game. They scored a lot of points in the paint. I don't know any team that's going to win if you don't control the paint like that. It wasn't like they were hitting a bunch of 3s or anything like that. They got to the basket a lot. That big dude in the middle over there (Hibbert) is pretty tough."
-- Ariza

GOOD MOVE: Though the Pacers have to travel to Charlotte to complete a back-to-back set Wednesday, coach Frank Vogel stuck with his starters much more than usual as all five played at least 38 minutes. But all five were effective on a night when the bench struggled.

BAD MOVE: Though he had little choice because of injuries that have stripped his team of frontcourt depth, Williams attempted to defend Hibbert and West with a variety of undersized or outmanned Hornets including 10-day contract signee Solomon Jones, 6-foot-8 rookie Lance Thomas and 6-foot-9 Al-Farouq Aminu, and the results were predictable as Indiana's big men dominated the paint.

NOTABLE: All five Indiana starters scored in double figures for the sixth time this season (5-1). ... Collison had the 1,000th assist of his career in the fourth quarter. ... Hibbert shed the clear facemask he had worn the past three weeks to protect a broken nose sustained Jan. 22. ... Indiana sixth man George Hill missed his 12th straight game. Hill said he's fine with straight-line movement but needs to regain his lateral mobility. Vogel said he expects Hill to be available "on a limited basis" for Wednesday's game in Charlotte. ... Indiana had a 19-2 edge in second-chance points, with Hibbert pulling seven of its 13 offensive boards. ... New Orleans was without leading scorer Eric Gordon (knee) and big men Carl Landry (knee), Emeka Okafor (knee) and Jason Smith (concussion).

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Wednesday @ Charlotte, Feb. 28 vs. Golden State, March 3 @ New Orleans. For the Hornets, Wednesday @ Cleveland, Feb. 28 @ Chicago, Feb. 29 vs. Toronto.