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Stephenson records triple-double as Indiana routs Boston

Dec 23, 2013 - 4:22 AM Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Stephenson filled the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Indiana Pacers crushed the Boston Celtics, 106-79, from Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Stephenson now has three triple-doubles this season -- two of which came against the Celtics -- and is the only player in the Association with more than one.

"It really means a lot to me, but I want to thank my teammates for making it easy," said Stephenson. "They knocked down open shots and we make smart plays. When we play together, the sky is the limit for us."

Paul George paced Indiana with 24 points, while Roy Hibbert added 15 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Danny Granger contributed 12 points off the bench to build off a five-point effort in his season debut against Houston on Friday.

Avery Bradley scored 13 points, while Jeff Green and Courtney Lee chipped in with 11 points apiece for Boston, which has lost three straight.

"I learned that we have a long way to go," said Boston head coach Brad Stevens, "but we've played better than this. For whatever reason, we didn't play well tonight."

Boston kept it close after one quarter of play, trailing 20-17 after 12 minutes.

Kelly Olynyk's jumper tied the game at 23 with 8:49 left in the second quarter, but that would be as close as Boston would get to a lead for the rest of the night. The Pacers followed with a 19-3 surge to take control of the contest midway through the second. Granger hit two 3s and Stephenson had four assists during the spurt to help Indiana to a 42-26 lead.

The lead swelled to 19 after a George Hill 3 and the Pacers led 52-37 into the break.

The Pacers opened the second half on a 13-4 run highlighted by a no-look pass from George to Hill. George received a pass from Stephenson and faked going up for the shot, dishing instead to a trailing Hill for a layup.

George went on a personal 6-0 run later in the quarter to extend the cushion to 71-44. He was fouled while making a 3 and converted the free throw for a four-point play. George would add a layup less than a minute later to stake Indiana to its largest lead of the night.

Stephenson was stuck on nine points, 10 boards and 10 helpers midway through the fourth quarter and missed six straight shots before finally getting a wing 3 to fall to secure the triple-double.

Game Notes

Indiana held Boston to 32-of-84 (38.1 percent) shooting ... 12 players scored for the Pacers ... The Pacers had 28 assists as a team and edged the Celtics on the boards 53-41 ... The Celtics did, however, win the battle of the blocks as the Celtics blocked 10 shots compared to 5 for Indiana ... Indiana outscored Boston 50-22 in the paint.