Cavaliers 86 - 93 Pacers
Final
  for this game

Hill records triple-double to lead Pacers past Cavs

Feb 28, 2015 - 4:49 AM Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - George Hill recorded his first career triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in the Indiana Pacers' 93-86 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

"The best part is it's an answer to some of the critics he had at the end of last season," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "I don't think people understand how good a basketball player George Hill is. He showed it tonight."

Rodney Stuckey added 19 points for the Pacers, who have won 10 straight at home against Cleveland. C.J. Miles and David West tallied 13 and 12 points, respectively.

J.R. Smith made four 3-pointers en route to 21 points for the Cavaliers, who played without All-Stars LeBron James (rest) and Kyrie Irving (strained left shoulder).

Kevin Love contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks for Cleveland, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert each had 14 points and 10 boards.

"A game like tonight, missing Kyrie and missing LeBron, we needed to make open shots over the top because we didn't have the normal kind of penetration," said Cavaliers coach David Blatt. "We needed to make some of those shots from a distance and we didn't."

Smith helped the Cavaliers jump out to a 28-19 lead after 12 minutes. He went 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points in the first quarter.

Indiana closed the gap with an 8-2 spurt to start the second stanza. The Pacers then ended the half on a 12-3 run that Stuckey capped with a 3-pointer for a 51-45 edge.

Ahead 59-55, Indiana pulled away with a 15-6 surge to end the third quarter. Miles tallied five points during the surge to help make it a 74-61 contest.

The game appeared to be out of reach after the Pacers went on a 9-0 run to build an 85-70 edge with 4:53 to play. However, Cleveland scored the next 11 points to make it a four-point game.

The margin was the same after Stuckey and Smith traded 3-pointers. Hill missed a jumper but West came down with a big offensive rebound before scoring. Hill went 3-of-4 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds.

Game Notes

Irving injured the shoulder during Thursday's 110-99 win over the Golden State Warriors ... The Cavaliers play at Houston on Sunday, while the Pacers welcome Philadelphia to town on Sunday.






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