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Game Rewind: Pacers 100, Clippers 102

Game Rewind

     

Down one point with 15 seconds remaining, Rodney Stuckey got the defensive look he wanted. He backed down J.J. Redick all the way into the painted area, then tried a scintillating fade away jumper that bounced in and out of the rim, sealing the fate of the Pacers.

After a dominant performance against one Los Angeles team on Monday, the Blue-and-Gold were not able to make it two in-a-row as they fell to the Clippers 102-100 on Wednesday night at the Staples Center.

The lead was never more than nine points for either team in a game that was close throughout. But a 9-0 fourth quarter run by the Clippers (18-7), led by the omnipresent Chris Paul -- who racked up 20 points, nine assists, and five rebounds -- was enough to down Indiana (8-18) in its first night of a three-game west coast swing.

The Blue-and-Gold were leading for much of the final frame, kicking off the fourth quarter with a 17-5 run. But of those 17 points, a one-handed slam by C.J. Miles stood out the most, as it energized a Pacers team that did its best to fight off the Clippers down the stretch. Miles and David West led the Pacers with 17 points apiece.

With Hibbert in foul trouble, Lavoy Allen saw increased playing time and made the most of it. Allen grabbed 14 rebounds and dropped in 12 points for his fourth double-double of the season.

C.J. Watson, who brought the Pacers within one point with 34 seconds remaining when he was fouled while taking a 3-point attempt, contributed 12 points.

As a team, the Pacers shot 44 percent from the field, but were only 4-of-19 (21.1 percent on their 3-point attempts). The Blue-and-Gold were also outrebounded by the Clips 51-43, led by the DeAndre Jordan who hauled in a game-high 23 rebounds; the most any single player has had versus the Pacers this season. Blake Griffin was also a force, pouring in a game-high 31 points.

Indiana's next game is at Denver on Saturday night at 9 P.M. and will be the second stop of the Pacers' three-game road trip.

Inside The Numbers

Lavoy Allen's double-double was his fourth of the season, which is his new career high.

C.J. Miles' 17 points were tied for the team high. Miles has now led the Pacers in scoring five times this season; only one behind Stuckey, who has done it six times.

The Blue-and-Gold tied its season high for assists with 27, which was also done against the Clippers last week.

The Clippers attempted 45 free throws, the most any opponent has taken against the Pacers this season. The Clippers' 28 made free throws tied the season high.

You Can Quote Me on That

“I thought that both times we have played the Clippers, our second unit has outplayed their second unit. The difference tonight was that our starters hung with their starters. [The Clippers] have a Hall-of-Fame point guard [Chris Paul] out there, and C.J. Watson and Donald Sloan battled. They were fighting their tails off. [They have] Blake Griffin, one of the best scorers at the power forward position in the game. [The Clippers are] just a great offensive machine. Our starters battled, the bench battled – I am very proud of our guys. I’m just disappointed that we did not get the win.” - Frank Vogel

“That’s the game of basketball. It was a great look by a great offensive player [Rodney Stuckey]. We will live with the results. We played the game to get that kind of shot and we will live with the results.” - Frank Vogel

“We found our rhythm off the bench. We played with a little pace. We are learning each other’s games pretty well. We have guys that can pass it and guys that can make perimeter shots, so that helps us out a lot. Then Coach [Frank Vogel] mixes it up a little bit. David West is in with the second group sometimes with us, then Stuckey is the second group sometimes with us. We give them different looks and they are having to kind of pick their poison a little bit.” - C.J. Miles

“[The Clippers] made some tough plays down the stretch. We were not able to make enough plays down the stretch. We still had a chance there. We had a missed opportunity to foul DeAndre [Jordan] when he got that rebound [in the final minute of the game]. We just came up short.” - David West

“During these next 30 games, we have to grind it out and stay healthy. This time in the season is the greatest time to grow. When you are grinding, you find things to fix with the team. This is a great time for growth for our team.” - Doc Rivers

“It was tough. We knew that going into the game. They did a good job of making us play at their pace and we never really got a chance to get a lot of consecutive stops. So, it was somewhat like a playoff game where you are just running your sets, running your sets and luckily we got stops down the stretch. [It was a] big game. [It was a] big game by DJ [DeAndre Jordan]. He was there all night for us on the defensive end. He made two big free-throws there and we won.” - Chris Paul

“It was us strapping up at the end of the game and getting stops. Ultimately, that is what it came down to, us getting stops and executing. We had some foolish mistakes like fouling on a three, but things like that happen in a game. We just have to refocus.” - DeAndre Jordan

Stat Of The Game

DeAndre Jordan's 23 rebounds were the most given up by the Pacers this season. The previous high was 19, which was also by Jordan on last Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Noteworthy

  • The Pacers are now 0-10 when outrebounded by their opponent
  • Solomon Hill tied his career-high for assists with six

Up Next

The Pacers face the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center at 9 P.M. on Saturday

Tickets

The Pacers return to Indiana next Tuesday (Dec. 23) to host Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, and the New Orleans Pelicans. Plenty of good seats still remain for the game. Plus, pay zero fees for any tickets purchased online through December 31, courtesy of FOX Sports Indiana. Find Tickets »