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Pacers kick their way past Warriors in controversial finish

Jan 21, 2012 - 7:22 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - George Hill kicked the ball away from Monta Ellis in the final seconds and recorded a three-point play at the other end, lifting the Indiana Pacers over the Golden State Warriors, 94-91.

With the score tied 91-91, Ellis started to make his way to the hoop with about five seconds to play. Ellis tried to use a crossover dribble to get past Hill, who kicked the ball with his foot. The controversial non-call allowed Hill to race the other way for a layup. He was fouled on the play and made the free throw to make it a 94-91 game with 1.8 seconds remaining.

"It was a tough missed call," Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said. "Clearly he kicked the basketball. But at the end of the day you don't blame the refs, you blame our team."

Stephen Curry's three-pointer was off the mark as time expired. Curry had missed the last eight games with a sprained right ankle.

Danny Granger had 26 points for the Pacers, who bounced back from a loss at Sacramento on Wednesday. David West donated 18 points and seven rebounds, while Hill added 14 points.

"They're a tough team and they have probably one of the best one-on-one players in the league in Monta Ellis," West said. "We did what we could in terms of just trying to limit him but he's a great player, but G-Hill made a great play at the end. We knew it was going to come down to the last couple of possessions."

Ellis ended with 25 points for the Warriors, who have lost two in a row. Dorell Wright and Curry tallied 18 and 12 points, respectively.

The game featured 25 lead changes, the most in an NBA game this season.

The Pacers held a 27-23 edge after 12 minutes of action.

But the Warriors scored the first 10 points of the second frame to grab the lead. Curry's jumper made it a 33-27 contest with 7 1/2 minutes left.

A Dahntay Jones three-pointer and a West layup made it a 36-36 contest with over 5 1/2 minutes remaining. It was 43-43 at the half.

A tight third quarter ended on Dominic McGuire's tip-in at the buzzer, giving Golden State a 69-67 margin.

Granger's alley-oop slam and jumper around an Ellis jumper had Indiana ahead by four, 91-87, with 1:31 left.

Ellis responded at the other end with a fadeaway jumper, and after a shot clock violation on the Pacers, he made a hook shot to tie the game with 45.9 seconds left.

Darren Collison's missed jumper led to the final chain of events.

Game Notes

The Warriors had beaten the Pacers four straight times in Oakland. Indiana won in the Bay Area for the first time since November 29, 2006...Golden State started a season-high six-game homestand on Friday...The game had 15 ties...The Pacers had 42 points in the paint, compared to 28 for the Warriors.