Final
Pacers pull away in fourth, beat Suns 116-97
Jan 13, 2016 - 4:11 AM INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The road woes continue for the Phoenix Suns, and Paul George and the Indiana Pacers took advantage of a team struggling to find ways to win.George got hot late and a balanced scoring attack propelled the Pacers to a 116-97 home win Tuesday over Suns. He scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Pacers took a close game and turned it into a blowout by outscoring Phoenix 36-21 in the final 12 minutes. Monta Ellis scored 12 of his 14 points in the third quarter to give Indiana (22-16) a 1-2 punch in the second half.
''We just didn't let up,'' George said. ''We got some stops. We got some steals. We played with a faster tempo.''
The game featured a 22-minute stoppage with 4:32 left in the second quarter when the lights briefly went out inside the arena. And when the lights went off, Phoenix (13-27) lost the momentum it had gained after falling behind early.
A brief power outage in Indianapolis caused the outer bank of lights to turn off.
Leading 36-34 at the time and in the midst of a 23-9 run, Phoenix came out of the break flat. The Pacers caught fire and finished the half with an 18-6 spurt that gave them a 52-42 halftime advantage.
For the Pacers, it was the second time in a week they'd been involved in a game that featured a temporary power outage. Tipoff for their Jan. 4 game in Miami was suspended 30 minutes after lightning in the Miami area caused the lights to go out.
''This one was weird, being in the middle of a quarter,'' George said. ''We did a good job of being ready when the lights came back on.''
A back-and-forth third quarter saw the teams combine for 33 points in the final three minutes of the period. Devin Booker had 12 points in the quarter for Phoenix as the Suns (13-27) erased the 10-point deficit to take a 73-72 lead on a Markieff Morris free throw with 1:37 left.
That set the stage for Indiana's blistering finish and runaway victory. The Pacers shot 67 percent in the fourth quarter. Phoenix faded on its way to an eighth consecutive road loss. Head coach Jeff Hornacek said his team simply went cold.
''We couldn't score,'' he said. ''They broke us down and we couldn't get stops.''
Booker, who shared team-high honors with Mirza Teletovic with 19 points, said the Suns couldn't keep up with the pace Indiana implemented in the final period.
''We just ran out of gas,'' Booker said. ''We hung in there as long as we could.''
Point guard George Hill added 20 points and five assists for the Pacers. CJ Miles scored 19 points off the bench and went 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Center Ian Mahinmi added 10 points and five rebounds for Indiana.
Morris scored 16 for the Suns, who were playing the second game of a three-game road trip. PJ Tucker grabbed 10 rebounds for Phoenix and he finished with five points. Archie Goodwin had 12 points and TJ Warren contributed 10 points for the Suns.
TIP-INS
Suns: Teletovic reached double figures for a career-best sixth straight game. ...Tuesday's contest was one of nine road games Phoenix will play this month. ...The loss was the eighth consecutive road defeat for Phoenix.The Suns had swept the last two season series with Indiana entering Tuesday.
Pacers: Since starting the season 12-5, Indiana is 10-11. ... George is currently second in all-star voting for the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland's LeBron James . ... Ellis pushed his streak of scoring in double figures to 11 games, finishing with 14 points. ... Rodney Stuckey left the game in the first quarter with a sore right foot and did not return.
UP NEXT:
Indiana plays at Boston on Wednesday.
Phoenix plays at Boston on Friday.
- PHOENIX: 97
INDIANA: 116
Final
Jan 12 9:42 PM - End of 4th Quarter.
Jan 12 9:41 PM - PHOENIX: 76
INDIANA: 80
End of 3rd
Jan 12 9:10 PM - End of 3rd Quarter.
Jan 12 9:10 PM - PHOENIX: 42
INDIANA: 52
Halftime
Jan 12 8:26 PM - End of 1st Half.
Jan 12 8:26 PM - End of 1st Quarter.
Jan 12 7:34 PM - PHOENIX: 19
INDIANA: 25
End of 1st
Jan 12 7:34 PM - PHOENIX: 0
INDIANA: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Jan 12 7:11 PM - Tyson Chandler vs. Ian Mahinmi (Monta Ellis gains possession)
Jan 12 7:11 PM
Related News
- Toronto Raptors Reportedly Trade Pascal Siakam to Indiana Pacers Jan 17
- Should we be worried that people with the Phoenix Suns can “feel the frustration with Durant”? Dec 26
- Suns vs. Mavs Final Score: Phoenix continues to struggle, lose 128-114 to Dallas Dec 26
- Suns JAM Session Podcast: Suns (14-15) vs. Mavs Post Game Podcast Dec 26
- Open Thread: Mavericks vs. Suns Dec 25
- Game Preview: Struggling Suns face struggling Mavericks in Christmas Day showdown Dec 25
- Stephen’s Study: Scouting Udoka Azubuike’s minutes against the Sacramento Kings Dec 25
- The Beal gamble isn’t paying off Dec 24
- Suns Week 9 Stock Exchange: Udoka gives us hope while coaching and three-point shooting do not Dec 24
- Suns Injury Update: Bradley Beal wants to be ready to go for Christmas Dec 23
- Vogel: “I’m not doing a good enough job in making sure [Eric Gordon]’s involved in the offense” Dec 23
- The Phoenix Suns have gone ice-cold from beyond the arc at a time when they can’t afford to do so Dec 23