Pacers shoot their way to third straight win
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — With or without LeBron James in uniform, the Pacers needed to play well against Cleveland on Wednesday night. After connecting on 16 3-pointers on the night, it’s safe to say they did just that. They shot well in every quarter, on way to a 123-109 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. It was the Pacers third straight win.
Paul George led the way with 29 points, and C.J. Miles added 21. The Pacers are now 16-8 on the season when two players score 20+ points.
“It’s a good confidence builder,” Paul George said. “We didn’t get the full look without LeBron but it was still a good win. When we play that confident as a group, we play well.”
After blowing some big leads in recent games, Coach Frank Vogel said his team was determined to put the Cavs away.
“I think our guard was up to not let it happen again,” Vogel said. “We’ve got to keep playing with desperation. It didn’t really matter what the Cavs were doing tonight. We needed to worry about us and get a ‘W.'”
The Pacers scored 36 points in the first quarter, and went into halftime with 70 points. Both of those totals were season highs. Cleveland had only given up one 70-point half this season, which was against Golden State.
Solomon Hill was instrumental once again, scoring 15 points, grabbing five rebounds, and adding three steals. He connected on 3-of-4 from behind the arc himself, after shooting only 11-of-49 from three for the season.
“When he’s knocking down 3’s and guarding the way he guards, we’re pretty good.” Vogel said. Could Solomon Hill start in future games? “I’ve thought about that. But we’ll take it game by game.”
Monta Ellis also played well, scoring 13 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds.
With their 42nd win of the season, the Pacers assured themselves a winning record for the year. They have bigger goals in mind, however, and they currently lead the Detroit Pistons by a half game for the No. 7-seed in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re in the driver seat for clinching a playoff spot and getting the 7-seed,” Vogel said. “We’ve got to take care of business.”
Paul George added: “We’ve been having a lot more fun in these last few games. That’s a good sign going into the playoffs.”
Next up: The Pacers will have a showdown with their possible 1st-round playoff match-up: Friday night in Toronto.
