Game Recap
The Indiana Pacers are back at .500 (11-11) after defeating the Phoenix Suns, 109-94, at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The game was tight throughout, but Indiana took over in the final quarter to seal the victory.
Heading into the fourth, Indiana led by just two, 82-80, and the teams traded punches for most of the period. But halfway through, the Pacers began to pull away. A Jeff Teague three gave Indiana a six-point lead with 6:43 to play.
On Indiana's next two possessions, Paul George nailed a jumper and Teague buried two free throws to give Indiana a 10-point advantage, 97-87.
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Phoenix responded with five-straight points to make things interesting once again, but Indiana fired back with a 5-0 spurt of its own to push the lead back to 10 with 2:00 to play. The Suns weren't able to make a final charge, and the Pacers improved to 2-2 on its road trip with a game at Dallas remaining.
In the early stages of the game, the teams played themselves to a draw. At the mid-point of the first quarter, each had put 12 on the scoreboard.
Then, George got going for Indiana. He scored six of the team's next eight points, giving the Pacers a 20-17 lead. Heading into the second quarter, the Pacers were still ahead, 23-22.
The Pacers got off to a nice start in the second thanks to steals and Al Jefferson. Indiana picked Phoenix's pocket three times in the quarter's first four minutes, leading to easy offense on the other end. Big Al scored five during a Pacers 7-2 run, which gave them a 34-30 lead with 7:50 left in the half.
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The game remained close, tied at 39 with 3:06 remaining, but Phoenix pulled away towards the end of the half. The Suns scored on five of their last six possessions to take a four-point lead into halftime.
Things stayed close throughout the third period. Myles Turner, who hit two 3-pointers in the first half, made another to tie the game at 59-59 with 8:18 to play in the quarter.
As was the case in the previous half, neither team could pull away. Indiana had built a lead as big as four, but with 3:27 left in the third, the Pacers led by just a point, 76-75.
The Pacers extended their lead up to five with just seconds left in the quarter, but Jared Dudley nailed a triple, cutting the margin to two, 82-80, as the teams entered the final quarter. There, Indiana outscored Phoenix 27-14 to claim its third road win of the season.
Indiana and Phoenix traded punches for much of the fourth, put halfway through, the Pacers began to pull away. A Teague three gave Indiana a six-point lead with 6:43 to play.
George had his best game since returning from injury, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Teague also had a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists. Turner contributed 20 points.
The Suns were led by Eric Bledsoe's 15 points. Center Tyson Chandler finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Devin Booker scored 13 points.
Inside The Numbers
Paul George finished with a double-double for the second straight game. He scored 25 points to go along with 13 rebounds.
Rodney Stuckey had the team's best +/- rating, finishing the game +16.
Before tonight, Myles Turner had made six 3-pointers this season. He drained three triples against the Suns.
You Can Quote Me On That
"I thought we just played basketball down the stretch. We didn’t really call much. We figured out what was working. I was able to get good position and find guys and create for myself. I thought that last final stretch, we buckled down defensively and offensively, we just played basketball." -Paul George
"I knew before the game that they were going to sag off. Last game, Tyson Chandler didn’t play and then just me personally, I remember playing him. He was all the way off in the paint, so I knew that shot was going to be wide open. Once you hit a couple, they have to start respecting it and that opens up the paint and the lane for guys like Jeff (Teague) and PG (Paul George) to get in there. One time, I got a back cut and Jeff started getting wide-open layups, so it’s hard to guard." -Myles Turner on hitting 3-pointers
"I just think we missed a lot of shots especially from the 3-point line, 9-for-33. You look at the free-throws, 41 to 18. I don’t know how you compete in a game when the free throws are -- the difference is that big of a gap." -Suns coach Earl Watson
Noteworthy
- The Pacers were able to give Larry Bird a win for his birthday. Bird, who serves as Pacers president of basketball operations, celebrated his 60th birthday today
- Jeff Teague's 11 assists were the most he's registered in a Pacers uniform. He also earned his first double-double of the season, combining those 11 assists with 19 points
- Indiana had 35 or more free-throw attempts for the fourth straight game. They had not had 35 in a game before this road trip
Stat Of The Night
The Pacers got to the free-throw line much more than their opponent. Indiana outscored Phoenix by 15 from the charity stripe. The Blue & Gold made 32-of-41 attempts, while the Suns were 17-of-18 from the line.
Up Next
Indiana's five-game road trip concludes Friday night in Dallas versus the Mavericks. Tipoff is slated for 8:30 PM ET, and the game can be seen on Fox Sports Indiana.
Away Game Night Special
Baker Scarf - 30% off. Game Night Specials can be purchased online the day of each away game from 10:00 AM - Midnight. Order Online »
Tickets
The Pacers return home on Saturday, Dec. 10, when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM ET. Saturday's game is also the second "Decade Game" of the season, and we'll be honoring Pacers players and staffers from the 1970s during the game. All fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of either Hall of Famer Mel Daniels or Pacers legend George McGinnis. Find Tickets »