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George leads Pacers past Nets

Feb 1, 2012 - 4:11 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Paul George nailed four three-pointers en route to a career-high 24 points while Roy Hibbert added a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers downed the New Jersey Nets, 106-99.

Danny Granger finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Pacers, who shot 52.1 percent from the field. They've won two straight since dropping a 94-87 decision at Boston on Friday.

"Paul George really carried us through some offensive stretches. He's a heck of a weapon at both ends," Indiana head coach Frank Vogel said.

Deron Williams netted a game-high 34 points and Anthony Morrow added a season- high 28 points for New Jersey, which dropped its second straight game.

Trailing, 98-82, with 7:53 to play in the fourth, the Nets used a 13-0 run to whittle the Pacers' lead to 98-95 with 3:15 to play. Morrow nailed back-to- back treys to cap the surge.

With the shot clock running down and Indiana holding a 102-99 advantage, Collison threw a shot up hoping to hit the rim. It grazed the front of the rim and George tracked down the loose ball and threw it to Hibbert, who was fouled with 34.2 seconds remaining.

He nailed 1-of-2 to increase the lead to 103-99.

Williams missed a short jumper on the other end and Collison connected on 1- of-2 from the line to make it 104-99 with 20.1 left.

"Unfortunately the ball just popped out on us," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said of Williams' shot. "We got the switch that we wanted with Collison (Darren) because he had five fouls."

Morrow misfired from beyond the arc on New Jersey's ensuing possession and George corralled the rebound to seal the win for Indiana.

The Pacers committed five turnovers in the first three minutes and Williams netted six points as the Nets took a quick 10-3 advantage. But the Pacers responded with a 13-3 spurt to take a 16-13 lead midway through the first.

Indiana took a 28-24 lead into the second. The Pacers shot a blistering 64.7 percent in the opening stanza while Williams had nine points to pace the Nets.

The Pacers once again scorched the nets in the second quarter, shooting 57.9 percent in the period for a 61.1 first-half field-goal percentage. Williams netted 16 first-half points to keep the Nets in it as Indiana took a 55-53 lead into the locker room.

With the game tied at 66 with 7:15 to play in the third, a 12-0 Indiana run finally caused some separation between the squads as the Pacers took a 78-66 lead with 3:38 remaining in the quarter. George netted five points and Granger added four during the spurt.

The Pacers took an 84-72 advantage into the fourth.

Game Notes

Pacers guard George Hill exited the game with 1:35 left in the third quarter after he came down awkwardly on his left ankle following a jump shot. According to Indiana's Twitter account, Hill has a small chip fracture in his left ankle and is out indefinitely...Nets guard MarShon Brooks missed the contest due to a broken right little toe...Mehmet Okur missed his third straight game due to a sore lower back...The Pacers outrebounded the Nets, 43-34 and held a 12-8 advantage on the offensive glass.