Pacers win fourth straight, 99-90 over Philly
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS — It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. The Pacers held off the 76ers 99-90 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to win their fourth straight. It was win No. 50 on the season. The last time the Pacers won 50-plus games was in 2003-04.
After the game, Frank Vogel commented on the importance of getting the win no matter how it looks.
“It’s kind of been our trademark the last couple years to win ugly,” Vogel said.
The Pacers shot just 38 percent on the night. In a very impressive stat, the Pacers improved to 5-1 on the season when shooting under 40 percent for the game. That’s a credit to the defense that the Pacers take so much pride in.
The Pacers took a 58-50 lead into halftime and were carried by 19 first-half points from Lance Stephenson. He finished the game leading all scorers with 25.
Paul George didn’t shoot well, but got to the line 16 times leading to 24 total points. He also made the game’s biggest play: A monster “and one” dunk that you’ve probably already seen 50 times on the highlight reel.
“It’s that time of the year when we gotta man up,” George said after the game.
As a team, the Pacers got to the line 38 times and made the big shots when it counted the most.
The Pacers improved to 15-1 against the Atlantic Division. Next up: a trip to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
Follow Tyler Smith on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sports_TYs_20.
