featured-image

Game Rewind: Pacers 100, Jazz 109

Game Recap

The Indiana Pacers saw their defensive struggles continue, and succumbed to some frustration, in a 109-100 loss to the Utah Jazz (29-16) on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The loss wrapped up a 1-2 road trip for the Blue & Gold (22-21).

Head coach Nate McMillan and forward Paul George were both ejected in the fourth quarter after voicing their frustration with the officiating. McMillan received two technical fouls in the fourth, and George was ejected after reacting to being called for his sixth foul.

"They just executed," Thaddeus Young said. "We came out and got ourselves back into the game and then I think we had two plays where we didn't make shots and those guys were able to go back up."

After giving up a decisive 35-point third quarter in last night's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana allowed the Jazz to score 34 points in the first quarter.

Utah, which averaged only 99.5 points per game coming into tonight, held a 34-21 lead after the opening frame. Paul George and Thad Young each had eight points in the quarter, while Utah's Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 11.

Indiana was within four, down 15-11 with 6:37 left in the first, but the Jazz went on an 8-2 run to open up a 10-point lead. The Pacers would never get within closer than eight points throughout the rest of the half.

Monta Ellis scored six points in the first five minutes of the second quarter, but the Jazz built their lead up to as much as 17 midway through the second.

The Pacers cut the lead to 10, 56-46, on a Jeff Teague floater with 2:31 left in the half, but the teams traded baskets the rest of the way, and the Jazz held a 60-50 halftime lead.

George picked up his third foul with 6:07 left in the second quarter and was forced to sit the rest of the half.

Indiana actually outshot Utah in the half, 51.3 percent to 48.9 percent, but the Jazz made six more free throws and grabbed six offensive rebounds, leading to extra scoring opportunities.

Young was the only Pacers player in double figures at halftime with 14, and Hayward led all scorers with 15.

The Pacers began the third quarter on a 10-2 run to cut Utah's lead to 62-60, but the Jazz responded with a 12-0 run of their own to open the gap back up to 14. Utah sustained a double-digit lead the rest of the quarter, and led 85-72 heading into the fourth.

Indiana could never cut much into Utah's lead during the fourth, and trailed by double-digits until the very end, when Jeff Teague made a layup with two seconds remaining to create the final score.

Utah took full advantage of their elite size throughout the game, especially in the second half, constantly converting shots close to the basket. The Jazz made only six 3-point shots on the night, outscored Indiana 46-38 in the paint, and was 25-of-32 from the free throw line.

George, Young, and Teague each tied for a team lead with 19 points. Young added nine rebounds, while Teague dished out seven assists. Ellis scored 15 points off the bench, and Myles Turner chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.

Jazz guard George Hill scored a season-high 30 points, which led all scorers, in his first game against his former team. He added six rebounds and five assists.

"They do a good job at having multiple guys handling the ball in their pick-and-roll," said McMillan following the game. "Especially when they have 3-point shooters, if you are tight, they do a good job at getting the ball out to the perimeter. Their guys can bury you from the 3-point line."

Inside the Numbers

The Pacers shot 10-of-20 from 3-point range, marking the sixth time this season the Blue & Gold have shot 50 percent or better from deep.

Indiana grabbed 10 steals, logging double-digit steals for the fourth straight game.

Hill, Hayward, and Rudy Gobert combined to shoot 64 percent tonight (25-of-39) for Utah.

You Can Quote Me On That

"They kept the pressure on us. They were able to get to the [foul] line. They were able to get to the paint. They pretty much had everything. Big man was solid tonight in [Rudy] Gobert. They had corner threes, second chance points. I mean across the whole board they killed us." -Paul George

"I think one of the biggest things right now is energy. We have to start off games like we start off at home. We start off with a lot of energy at home, get ourselves a big lead and we are able to sustain throughout the course of games. For some reason in the second half we tend to pick it up and get ourselves back into the game, but it is just too hard. You make that type of run and get yourself back into the game, you're tiring yourself out and those guys go on another run." -Thaddeus Young

"It's good to see some shots go in initially for us. We got some easy looks and layups. Got to the free throw line and that's definitely key for you because like I said, I think guys were pretty tired tonight, got in pretty late, it was an emotional win last night for us. So this was a game that could have gotten ugly, but we fought our way through it." -Jazz forward Gordon Hayward

Noteworthy

  • The two teams each made 39 field goals.
  • The Pacers outshout the Jazz, 50.6 percent to 46.4 percent; Utah made up the difference at the free throw line (25 makes to Indiana's 12).
  • Indiana committed 17 turnovers leading to 21 Jazz points.

Stat of the Night

As a team, the Jazz got to the free throw line with more frequency than Indiana, taking 32 attempts compared to 17 for the Pacers. Paul George, whose frustration were on full display, didn't attempt a single free throw attempt for the first time since November 9th.

Up Next

The Pacers return home following their Western Conference swing on Monday, Jan. 23 for a primetime matchup with the New York Knicks. Tipoff is slated for 8:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »