Suns-Pacers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 27 2012 1:59PM

The Central Division-leading Indiana Pacers received an unexpected break in their schedule.

Facing the slumping Phoenix Suns could be another break.

Playing its first game in six days, Indiana goes for a season-best fourth consecutive victory on Friday night when Phoenix tries to snap its longest road losing streak in three years.

Looking to build on victories at Cleveland and New Orleans, the Pacers (16-12) didn't get a chance to extend their winning streak on Wednesday when their game versus Chicago was postponed due to a snowstorm that hit Indianapolis.

As a result, Indiana will now try to win for the seventh time in eight games with its first matchup against Phoenix (11-18) this season.

The Suns have won four in a row over the Pacers and six of seven visiting Indiana following a 113-111 victory on March 23, but they open their three-game trip with six straight losses outside the desert. It's their longest road skid since a seven-game stretch spanning Dec. 1-26, 2009.

Phoenix will try to avoid matching that run after dropping its third straight overall on Wednesday, 99-97 to New York.

Knicks guard J.R. Smith hit a shot over P.J. Tucker at the buzzer after point guard Sebastian Telfair turned the ball over on the other end with one second remaining.

"Obviously it was a really tough loss, difficult loss," said coach Alvin Gentry, whose team won a season-best four in a row prior to this slide. "I thought we did a good job of fighting back but we've got to do something about the second quarter."

The Suns were outscored 27-15 in that period after getting outscored 30-19 in the second quarter of Sunday's 103-77 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Pacers had an awful second quarter on Saturday - getting outscored 28-18 and falling behind the Hornets by 22 - but David West scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half of the 81-75 victory.

"I thought the team did a good job of just gaining our composure and getting a little more focused defensively (in the second half)," said West, the team leader with 17.4 points per game and 8.1 rebounds.

The Pacers lead the league in scoring defense (89.9) and field goal defense (40.8 percent).

That does not bode well for a Suns team averaging 89.0 points on 42.5 percent field-goal shooting since their last victory.

Phoenix could be more hard-pressed to end the Pacers' season-best three-game home winning streak if point guard Goran Dragic doesn't play. Dragic, the Suns' leader with 14.1 points and 6.2 assists per game, sat out the second half on Wednesday after getting undercut by Smith and suffering bruises to his hip, back and wrist.

"You do not want to see any of your teammates hit the floor like that," Telfair said. "Hopefully he will be back next game."

It's uncertain if Pacers guard Gerald Green will return after missing Saturday's contest with a sprained left ankle. Green had 35 points off the bench in the previous two games.

Since a nine-game stretch on the Suns' bench, swingman Jared Dudley is averaging 18.1 points on 56.0 percent shooting in nine contests. He hit five 3-pointers and scored a career-best 36 on Wednesday.

Phoenix has won 11 of 13 in this series.

Hill scores 22, lifts Pacers over Suns 97-91

By JIM JOHNSON
Posted Dec 28 2012 10:47PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) George Hill did some extra work before the Indiana Pacers took on the Phoenix Suns, and it paid off right away.

Hill scored 22 points, including three 3-pointers, and led the Pacers to a 97-91 victory over the Suns on Friday night.

Paul George had 15 points, and David West added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who have won four straight and seven of eight.

"I came in early and did my `Paul George workout,"' Hill said. "Paul has been telling me, `Hey, get on the gun. Your shot will feel a lot better.' So I came in a little early today. I got some shots and got into a rhythm, and when I got out on the court it felt pretty good."

Hill went to the locker room because of a bruised right thigh with 5:35 left in the first quarter, but returned in a big way.

Sebastian Telfair had 19 points and six assists, and Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who have lost four in a row.

West, who scored eight points in the fourth quarter, netted the go-ahead jumper to give the Pacers an 87-85 lead with 3:17 left to play after the Suns rallied from a 16-point deficit.

"It wasn't pretty in the second half, but we got the job done," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We'd like blowouts, but we got the `W' and found a way to win."

The Pacers led 85-83 before Telfair scored to tie it.

Telfair also got the Suns even at 81 when he scored off a steal with 6:19 left. Jermaine O'Neal then made two free throws to briefly put the Suns ahead.

West sank two foul shots to tie the game and scored again to put Indiana back in front before George went to the line and gave the Pacers an 89-85 lead.

Roy Hibbert put the game away when his two free throws gave the Pacers a 95-89 lead with 47 seconds left.

"We fought hard to come back, but we're traveling a lot, three games in four days," Luis Scola said.

Scola scored 12 points for the Suns, who are in a stretch of three straight road games.

"It was just tough trying to close out," he said. "But I think we really made a game of it."

The Suns jumped out to an 8-1 lead to start the game, but George dunked with 7:12 left in the first quarter to give the Pacers a lead they wouldn't give up until the fourth quarter.

"It's becoming a similar theme every night," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "We start out great and then we get down and we have to fight all the way back. This is hard to do, especially against a quality team and especially against these guys."

Tyler Hansbrough created a spark in a reserve role for the Pacers and scored 12 points. He scored four points as part of an 8-0 run in the first quarter.

The Pacers later went on a 10-0 run to build their lead up to 16 points. George hit two 3-pointers, and Hill and Lance Stephenson also scored in the run.

Stephenson had 10 points, a career-high nine rebounds, and five assists for the Pacers.

"We played team ball tonight," Stephenson said. "I just tried to get my teammates involved, let the game come to me and played smart."

Indiana led 58-44 at halftime.

The Suns went on a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter to cut the deficit to 68-60. They eventually got within four late in the third when Telfair hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 left in the quarter.

Beasley scored at the start of the fourth to make it 75-73.

NOTES: Suns rookie Luke Zeller, an Indiana native, isn't new to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. He hit a game-winning shot there in as a senior in high school to win the state finals. ... Indianapolis Colts linebacker Robert Mathis, who was selected for the Pro Bowl, was in attendance two days before the Colts will host the Houston Texans in the regular-season finale. ... The Suns need two wins to reach 2,000 in franchise history.

Notebook: Pacers 97, Suns 91

Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:26 PM - Updated Fri Dec 28, 2012 10:26 PM

THE FACTS: The Indiana Pacers continue to insist theirs is a share-the-wealth offense, with any of the five on the court capable of serving as the go-to guy with the game on the line. The facts are beginning to speak otherwise, as David West has emerged as the main man down the stretch. West scored eight of his 14 points in the final 5:02 as the Pacers held on to beat Phoenix 97-91 for their fourth consecutive win and seventh in eight games Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This comes on the heels of West scoring 20 of his 25 in the second half as the Pacers wiped out a 22-point deficit to win in New Orleans in their last outing. While the Pacers (17-12) have surged into first place in the Central Division, the Suns (11-19) lost their fourth straight overall and seventh in a row on the road despite 19 points and six assists from Sebastian Telfair, who filled in for injured point guard Goran Dragic.

QUOTABLE: "It doesn't matter if he's 2-for-20. He's going to be in there down the stretch and he's going to get the ball."
-- Indiana coach Frank Vogel on West.

THE STAT: After building a 14-point halftime lead, the Pacers shot just .306 (11 of 36) in the second half.

TURNING POINT: Telfair and Jermaine O'Neal combined for all of the points in an 8-0 run that put Phoenix ahead 83-81 with 5:19 remaining, but West then took over, making four free throws and hitting a pair of tough step-back jumpers, the latter of which put the Pacers up 93-88 with 57.9 seconds remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "I just try to make plays. It's not the same guy every single night. We just scrapped this one out, made some plays when we had to make plays."
-- West.

HOT: Despite taking a shot to the groin in the first quarter, George Hill wound up playing more than 32 minutes and hit 9 of 13 shots for a game-high 22 points to lead Indiana. Tyler Hansbrough hit five of his six shots, all in the first half, to score 12 off the bench for the Pacers. Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, hitting 6 of 9 shots.

NOT: Indiana's front line of West, Paul George and Roy Hibbert combined to shoot 12 of 36 (.333). Phoenix was 2-of-14 from the 3-point line, with Telfair going 1 of 6 and Jared Dudley 1 of 5.

BAD MOVE: Though O'Neal had been giving Indiana's frontcourt fits in his 15 minutes off the bench and played a key role in the run that put the Suns in front, Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry pulled the veteran big man with 5:02 remaining and the score tied. The Pacers promptly put together the run that put the game away.

WORSE MOVE: After Shannon Brown's gimme dunk made it 95-91 with 5.2 seconds left, Gentry called for a foul, and Luis Scola obliged against George, whose two free throws with 3.1 seconds left made it a six-point game. Gentry then called a timeout for no apparent reason other than prolonging his team's misery.

NOTABLE: The Pacers snapped a four-game losing streak against the Suns. ... Indiana's four-game win streak is the team's longest of the season. ... the Pacers have gone 13-5 since a 4-7 start. ... Lance Stephenson has averaged 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals in the last four games. ... Phoenix had seven turnovers in the first 42:17 but committed four in the final 5:43. ... Dragic missed the game with multiple injuries (hip, wrist and tailbone) sustained in a nasty fall resulting from a flagrant foul on New York's J.R. Smith in the first half of Wednesday's game. ... Indiana was without backup wing Sam Young (flu). Hill will travel and is probable for Saturday's game in Atlanta. Young's status will be determined Saturday morning. ...In his first game back as the backup point guard, D.J. Augustin struggled, going scoreless with one assist and one turnover in 15½ minutes. He replaced Ben Hansbrough, who had gone scoreless with one assist and five turnovers in his previous three appearances.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Saturday @ Atlanta, Monday vs. Memphis, Wednesday vs. Washington. For the Suns, Saturday @ Minnesota, Monday @ Oklahoma City, Wednesday vs. Philadelphia.

• Suns: Dragic, Frye
• Pacers: Granger, Johnson

• Suns: Telfair
• Pacers: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #63 Derek Richardson
• Attendance: 15288
• Duration: 2:17