115
107
Your browser does not support iframes.
Wednesday, November 21 at 7:00 PM EST at Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Instant Rewind: IND 115, NOH 107
by Scott Agness
var switchTo5x=true;stLight.options({publisher:'27ece164-32c3-401c-84c5-129105109cc2'});
Instant Rewind
Yet to string back-to-back wins together on the season, this was a perfect opportunity for the Indiana Pacers: The New Orleans Hornets were in town, after just playing Tuesday night and were losers of their last four games. Down four at halftime, Paul George carried the scoring load for the Pacers in the second half—recording a career-high 37 points and hitting a franchise-record nine 3-pointers—lifting the Pacers tofor a 115-107 overtime win.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Opening a two-game homestand, the Pacers didn't get off to the start they would have liked. There were many empty possessions, four air-balls and four turnovers in the first period. They only made a third of their shots (6-of-18), half of which came from long range, and trailed 29-21 after one period of play.
David West connected on his first two field goals and the Pacers began the second quarter on a 7-1 run, capped off by an alley-oop to high-flying Gerald Green. Roy Hibbert buried a hook shot from the right side to give the Pacers their first lead at 35-34. A couple possessions later, Hibbert blocked Jason Smith's shot and it led to an easy layup from Lance Stephenson midway through the quarter. The Hornets had a 47-43 lead at the break.
Your browser does not support iframes.
The Pacers scored eight straight to open the second half to go up 51-47. George knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 14 in the quarter. Although he only hit one field goal in the period, Robin Lopez drilled five free throws and scored seven points to keep the game tight.
The Pacers entered the fourth with a 75-74 lead, which boded well for the team, as the Hornets came into the game 0-4 when trailing after three quarters. George hit all three of his 3-point attempts in the final minutes and the Pacers went on a 13-3 run late. However, they missed five attempts in the final 22.3 seconds and the game went into overtime tied at 97.
To open overtime, George and George Hill connected on back-to-back threes as the Pacers scored 10 in a row to go up 107-97. The Hornets responded with six straight points to come within four, but wouldn't come any closer. Four free throws from Tyler Hansbrough sealed the 115-107 win.
Inside the Numbers
Your browser does not support iframes.
Paul George led all scorers with a career-high 37 points, all but four coming in the second half, and he had zero turnovers in 34 minutes.
Roy Hibbert recorded his first triple-double – 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks. His 11 blocks are a franchise-record, topping the previous record (10) held by Jermaine O'Neal and Darnell Hillman.
George Hill finished with 16 points, seven assists, six rebounds and zero turnovers in 37 minutes.
Robin Lopez registered his first double-double of the season (21 points and 13 rebounds) and made a career-high 15 free throws. Al-Farouq Aminu had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Jason Smith scored a season-high 18 points off the bench.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Three Pacers had five or more assists and the team’s 26 assists on 40 field goals is a season-high; they shot a season-high 56% from downtown and tied a season-low with nine turnovers.
Quoteworthy
"We were waiting on a breakout game from him. He hadn’t made a three in the fourth quarter until tonight and he made a bunch of them. With a player you’re trying to develop, the biggest battle is confidence and when you have a game like this it shows what you can do." – Frank Vogel on Paul George
"Leading into the fourth quarter, coach brought (up my 0-16 from three in the final period). I whispered in his ear, ‘it’s time for a new streak.’ My teammates found me, they made it easy for me, and I just had to knock the shots down." – Paul George on his hot shooting
"The first thing I looked at when I got the stat sheet was the zero turnovers. That's huge for myself because I’ve had a little problem in that area. Zero is amazing." – Paul George
"It’s an honor. To be able to beat Reggie (Miller’s) record, knowing how good of a shooter he was, is definitely an honor." – Paul George
"I’ve always wanted to get a triple-double. I wasn't thinking about it too much tonight. I wanted to go out and play aggressive, take the ball to the hoop and help my teammates get this win. They helped me by getting the ball to me and helping me protect the ball. I knew that I had a shot at it when they flashed up the 10 boards on the big screen. I knew that if we continue to play it would come at a time when you least expect it to. Tonight was that night. I thank my teammates for their part in it." – Roy Hibbert
Your browser does not support iframes.
"He’s been our backbone defensively all year. Early on, he struggled a little bit but it’s good to see him starting to come back and be the all-star that we had last year." – Paul George on Roy Hibbert
Stat of the Game
Paul George was 0-for-16 from outside in the fourth quarter through 12 games. Tonight, he went 3-for-3 and made both tries in in overtime to carry the Pacers to the win.
Noteworthy
- The Pacers have won the last three meetings.
- The Hornets are now 0-5 when trailing at the end of the third quarter.
- Hornets head coach Monty Williams was given a technical foul in the second quarter.
- The Hornets were without Eric Gordon and 2012 top-pick Anthony Davis due to injuries.
- Coach Vogel announced rookies Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson will play two D-League games this weekend with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Up Next
The Pacers host the San Antonio Spurs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday at 8 PM EST | Tickets »
