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Friday, November 30 at 10:30 PM EST at the Sleep Train Arena
Game Rewind: IND 97, SAC 92
by Scott Agness
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Game Recap
Coming off an emotional win over the Lakers on Tuesday, the Indiana Pacers wanted to avoid a letdown against the Sacramento Kings, a team that's in the Western Conference cellar. With a 97-92 win, the Pacers (8-8) now get back to a .500 record, record their fourth win in five games and sweep their season series with the Kings (4-11).
The Pacers came out with energy and brought the pressure on defense, holding the Kings scoreless for six minutes and they jumped out to an early 18-7 lead. That lead turned out to be their biggest of the game. A Pacers 12-0 run ended with just over two minutes to play in the first when the Kings brought subs in off the bench. Jimmer Fredette scored the final six of the quarter to narrow the gap, but the Pacers led 20-17 at the end of the first.
After a few exchanges in the second, the Kings went on a 15-5 run and took their first lead, 32-31. Their bench would be huge, contributing 23 points in the first half. George Hill regained the lead for Indiana with an outside shot and then a long two-pointer as the second quarter time expired. At halftime, the Pacers were ahead 43-40.
The Kings challenged the Pacers after the break and the lead was traded six times. They would go ahead as many as five, 59-54, but then David West, as he has many times this season, turned it up another notch. The Pacers went on a 12-2 run, half coming from West, who scored 10 points in the quarter.
The Pacers had a five-point advantage entering the final period. Hill and Sam Young connected on back-to-back threes to put the Pacers up nine with eight minutes to go, but the game would eventually go down to the final possession. West buried a 15-foot jumper to take a six-point lead with under a minute remaining. Marcus Thornton made a layup and then knocked down two free throws 26 seconds later. Hill hit the first free throw but made the second leaving the Kings with the ball, a timeout, and 10 seconds left. The ball came in to Thornton, who launched a deep three and missed. Hill sealed the 97-92 victory with two free throws.
The Pacers earned their third straight road win and will try for the sweep over California teams on this road trip Saturday at Golden State.
Inside the Numbers
David West carried the Pacers and finished a season-high 31 points (on 13 field goals) and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. George Hill recorded 25 points (4-for-6 from three), six rebounds and eight assists for an effective night. Sam Young contributed 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes off the bench.
Paul George struggled shooting the ball (2-for-11), but he recorded a career-high nine assists to lead the team.
Center DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Jimmer Fredette and Francisco Garcia each added 12 points off the bench.
The Pacers turned it over just nine times for the third game this season.
With two blocks tonight, Roy Hibbert has now blocked two shots in each of the last 10 games.
The Pacers won their first game on the front end of a back-to-back for the first time in five tries, now (1-4).
Sacramento has yet to win a game when trailing after three quarters (0-10).
Quoteworthy
"These last two wins our team has really followed the game plan literally in a couple of regards and it's paid off with two big road wins. We emphasized their ability to force turnovers and strip the ball and being fifth in the league in steals and to just have nine turnovers against that team is a quality effort along with 27 assists. If you guard the paint the way we did against second best team in the NBA in the points in the paint, to hold them to 36 in all is following the plan. That is why we got the last two road wins." – Frank Vogel on recent success
"Last year he came in with a fit-in mentality and wanted to be a team-first guy. He's the kind of guy that will do whatever is needed of him to win. This team right now as constructed with Danny (Granger) out needs him to score the ball. He's stepping up in a big-time way, not just in volume of scoring but in efficiency—13-for-20 is a solid night." – Frank Vogel on David West
"I only shoot shots that I practice. I learned that a long time ago. Only take shots in the game that I work on practice. I'm just comfortable with the shots that I take and just try and continue to be steady." – David West on being difficult to guard
"The coaches and a lot of guys on the team are starting have confidence in me. It automatically builds confidence in you and just being in the gym and shooting. Getting up shots and repetition and knowing that it will follow eventually." – Sam Young on his role
Stat of the Game
Ball movement and quality distribution helped lead to a Pacers victory as they assisted on 27 of 37 field goals, tying a season-high.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers have now two in a row and seven of the last 10 meetings.
- Kings guard Tyreke Evans didn't play due to a bruised left knee.
Up Next
Indiana wraps up a three game trip in California Saturday night in Golden State (10:30 PM EST).
Back at home: Wednesday, Dec. 5 vs. Portland. It's the second Pacers College Night of the season, where $10 gets you a ticket and a voucher for a free gift. Buy Tickets »
