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George, Pacers down Celtics

Mar 2, 2014 - 7:01 AM Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul George had 25 points, eight rebounds and three steals and the Indiana Pacers beat the Boston Celtics, 102-97, on Saturday night.

Lance Stephenson tallied 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Roy Hibbert added 15 points and five boards for Indiana, which has won four in a row.

"Good win for our guys. Good balance amongst the starters," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said.

Jeff Green netted 27 points and Kris Humphries supplied 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who have dropped six of their last seven games.

"I'm pretty pleased with the way we looked as a basketball team. I'm excited because we are getting better," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said.

After Brandon Bass sank a pair of free throws to get Boston within 96-94 with 1:31 to go, Indiana netted the next six points to seal the outcome.

George nailed a triple at the other end and following Rajon Rondo's miss from beyond the arc, Stephenson knocked down two free throws. George then split a pair from the line to clinch it with 24.3 ticks remaining.

Earlier, the Pacers took a 28-27 edge into the second, where they further extended their advantage during the latter stages of the opening half.

Hibbert capped an 8-0 spurt with a pair of foul shots for a 51-41 Indiana spread with three minutes to go in the quarter.

The Pacers led 55-48 going into the break, but Boston outscored them 30-21 in the third and went into the final stanza with a 78-76 edge.

Game Notes

The Pacers shot 50.6 percent (39-of-77) from the floor, while Boston was 42.7 percent (38-of-89) from the field ... Rondo had 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.