Pacers win another home thriller
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
(Photo by Pacers Sports and Entertainment)
INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers “Big Three” came to play on Monday night. Paul George, Jeff Teague, and Myles Turner combined for 70 points. It was Thaddeus Young, however, that scored the game-winning bucket with 0.9 seconds left. Bradley Beal missed a corner three at the buzzer, and the Pacers held on to a 107-105 victory over the Wizards at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“I just made a play,” Young said after the game. “My teammates put me in a good position to make that play. We all stayed together and made plays down the stretch.”
Even though the Wizards were playing on a back-to-back, it was still a solid win for the Pacers. Washington had won five of their previous six games, and were red hot on the offensive end. The Pacers were able to hold John Wall and Bradley Beal to just 13-of-33 from the field. Paul George led the way with 27 points. Myles Turner scored 20 points to go along with eight rebounds and five blocked shots.
Jeff Teague continued his solid play with 23 points and 10 assists. It was his fourth double-double in his last eight games. He’s averaged nearly 18 points and eight assists per game over his last 11.
“He’s been really aggressive,” Paul George said. “Night in and night out, he’s going to have the toughest match-up. Every team seems to have an All-Star caliber point guard, and he’s got to match them. And he’s doing it.”
The Pacers are now above .500 at 15-14 on the season, and have an impressive 11-4 record at home. The question for this team remains: Can they start winning games on the road? They’ll get a shot at doing just that in less than 24 hours, as they play the New York Knicks at the Garden tomorrow night.
“We want our energy, our defense, and our effort to travel with us tomorrow,” George said. “It’s not a game we should be flat for. We should come out very aggressive.”
If Indiana can find a way to get some consistency away from Bankers Life Fielhouse, they’ll have as good of a chance as any to separate themselves from several Eastern Conference teams in the standings. The month of January looks to be the easiest month of the schedule, making these next few weeks even more important for the blue and gold.
