Pacers survive clutch Thornton, beat Kings 106-98 in double overtime

admin November 4, 2012 0

By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS – As he turned to watch Marcus Thornton’s 3 erase the last of a 14-point halftime lead, Paul George felt despair.

I was thinking, ˜Did I just give this game away,’ George said.

Thornton, left open, sent the game to overtime with a swish from the top of the key in the final minute of the fourth quarter, then drained another 3-pointer to tie it in the first OT. Behind dominant rebounding and stingy defense, George and the Indiana Pacers survived Thornton and the young, feisty Sacramento Kings to win 106-98 in double overtime in their home opener Saturday night.

George, David West and Roy Hibbert all posted double-doubles as the Pacers improved to 2-1. Indy won its first contest to reach double overtime since Dec. 19, 2008.

Certainly not the prettiest game in the world, but we got a ˜W,’ Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

Sacramento dropped all three games on its season-opening road trip. Both teams lost Friday. The Kings played three players more than 40 minutes, the Pacers four.

In front of a sold-out, Gold Out crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Pacers endured. They outrebounded the Kings 67-47 and scored 46 points in the paint.

George Hill, who along with West had a team-high 18 points, opened the scoring in the second OT with a 6-footer in the lane. A minute later, Hill scored again, and George sank a jumper over Thornton with 33 seconds left that put the game away. Sacramento did not score in the period until 29 seconds remained.

The Kings struggled mightily from the floor, shooting just 36.3 percent. DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 13 rebounds but hit just 9 of 27 shots. Thornton scored a game-high 26 and Tyreke Evans added 14.

It was a great effort, Sacramento coach Keith Smart said. They did a heck of a job defensively.

Indiana, at 39.4 percent, didn’t shoot much better but made just enough hustle plays. Hibbert and George tied career highs with six blocks and four blocks, respectively.

Our defense is carrying us right now, Vogel said. We got stops except at the end of the fourth quarter and overtime when we lost Thornton.

Chuck Hayes hit a baseline floater to pull the Kings within 89-88 with just over a minute left in regulation. After West hit a short jumper, Smart called timeout and set up a play. Cousins got the ball deep in the post against Hibbert, drawing help from George. That left Thornton alone to tie the game with 48.6 seconds remaining. The teams traded empty possessions before David West missed a desperation 3 as the buzzer sounded.

Indiana scored first in overtime, as Lance Stephenson hit a 3 from the left corner off baseline penetration by Hill. Stephenson followed a 15-point outing Friday with 10 points and played every minute of the fourth quarter and the two overtimes.

I’m happy Coach has confidence in me, Stephenson said. I’ve been working on my jump shot all preseason. I just hope it keeps falling.

Evans swooped down the lane and dished to Cousins for Sacramento’s first points, drawing the Kings within 94-93. Hibbert came back with a short hook before Thornton stunned the crowd again, tying it this time from the left wing with 26.4 seconds left. Working the clock down against the defense of Evans, Hill missed a jumper from the right baseline that Hibbert couldn’t tip in.

Indiana then won in double overtime for the first time since Nov. 3, 2004 against Cleveland.

I feel good, said George, who played a career-high 48 minutes and finished with 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Hibbert addressed the crowd from center court, and the Pacers then opened their home schedule with an uneven first quarter that the Kings closed on a 15-4 run to lead 24-18.

Indiana followed with a dominant second quarter, outscoring Sacramento 38-18 behind nine points from Hill and seven from Gerald Green. Green posted 17 points in his best game since joining the Pacers and filling in for injured star Danny Granger.

But a 56-42 halftime advantage started to slip away as the Pacers turned the ball over seven times in the third quarter, leading to 11 Sacramento points. Reserve point guard Aaron Brooks made two 3s in the period and finished with 11 points.

We’re working new faces in there, Vogel said. Hill is coming around, but him not having a training camp is disrupting our flow.

The Kings, struggling all night to create quality looks while running their offense mostly through Cousins, opened the fourth quarter by finally converting on three looks right at the rim. Off a one-hand save by Chuck Hayes, Thornton then hit a 3 to draw the Kings within two. Try as they might, Smart’s team could never take the lead after the second quarter.

I’m disappointed but inspired at the same time, Hayes said. We made everything tough for them.

The Pacers, meanwhile, overcame 24 turnovers and continue to work through life without Granger, on whom the team will decide a course of action in the next few days.

It’s still early in the season, George said. We’re trying to get our identity.