Final
Pacers welcome Sixers to Indianapolis
Mar 1, 2015 - 2:00 PMVideo
Indiana has won four of its last five and is 7-2 in its last nine. The Pacers have won two straight at home and those wins didn't come against any old teams. The Pacers bested the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, Indiana finds itself in the thick of things for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. With Paul George possibly returning from his gruesome leg injury in the next two weeks, Indiana is rounding into some interesting form.
On Friday, the Pacers prevailed over the Cavs, 93-86. Of course, Cleveland was without LeBron James (rest) and Kyrie Irving (shoulder), but George Hill didn't care.
Hill recorded his first career triple-double with 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
"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.
The Pacers host the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls on this homestand.
The Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak on Friday night with an 89-81 home victory over the Washington Wizards.
Philly, which has lost 11 in a row on the road, was led by Nerlens Noel, who scored 14 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked three shots.
"We wanted to go out and get established on defense," said Noel. "We did a great job tonight holding them to 81 points."
Robert Covington scored 13 and Jason Richardson netted 12 with four 3- pointers. Luc Mbah a Moute chipped in 10 and all 11 Sixers who played on Friday scored at least a point.
The Sixers led by two to start the fourth and never trailed again.
The Sixers used six free throws in the first two minutes of the fourth to go up eight, but the Wizards fought back. With 4 1/2 minutes to play, Otto Porter hit a triple to cut Washington's deficit to one.
John Wall had a chance to put the Wizards back in front on the following possession, but missed the mid-range shot. His 19 misses from the floor set a personal season-high.
In the closing minutes, Noel preserved the lead with a pair of dunks and hit 3-of-4 attempts from the free-throw line.
The Pacers took two of three this season against the Sixers and are 4-1 in their last five at home against Philly.
- PHILADELPHIA: 74
INDIANA: 94
Final
Mar 1 8:27 PM - PHILADELPHIA: 64
INDIANA: 73
End of 3rd
Mar 1 7:57 PM - PHILADELPHIA: 46
INDIANA: 59
Halftime
Mar 1 7:14 PM - PHILADELPHIA: 24
INDIANA: 27
End of 1st
Mar 1 6:40 PM - PHILADELPHIA: 0
INDIANA: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Mar 1 6:11 PM
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