National Basketball Association
Indiana 104, Brooklyn 97
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 18, 2015
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Officials: #47 Bennie Adams, #32 Marat Kogut, #22 Bill Spooner
Attendance: 16548

INDIANAPOLIS -- It was far from artistic, but the Indiana Pacers found a way Friday night, capping a three-game, five-day homestead with a third consecutive victory, a 104-97 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Forward Paul George scored 23 points, including a key 3-pointer with 3:26 remaining and the Pacers rallied past the Nets (7-19) in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Pacers (16-9) won despite making only 7 of 28 shots from 3-point range against a team that is 1-12 on the road.

Until Friday night, the Pacers were 0-7 this season when trailing after three quarters. Indiana is 10-3 at home, including 8-0 against the Eastern Conference.

"The stripes (referees) were terrible, but we had to go out and just play," a frustrated George said after the game. "In the fourth quarter, we played (mad) and with more intensity. We did a great job attacking in the last quarter."

The Nets led by as many as seven early in the fourth quarter, but strong offensive moves from guard Rodney Stuckey and forward Lavoy Allen got the Pacers within 81-80 with 8:20 to play. Indiana went on to compile a 15-2 run -- capped by a George steal and dunk -- for an 89-83 advantage with 6:21 remaining.

Indiana center Jordan Hill had 10 of his 14 points during the fourth quarter and finished with 11 rebounds. The Pacers are 5-0 when Jordan Hill has a double-double.

George had 10 rebounds for Indiana. Stuckey and Indiana forward C.J. Miles scored 15 points each. Indiana's non-starters outscored the Brooklyn reserves 45-23.

Center Ian Mahinmi had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who outrebounded the Nets 52-42 and outscored the Nets 19-9 in second-chance points.

The Nets were guilty of only 12 turnovers, but six occurred during the pivotal fourth quarter when Indiana outscored Brooklyn 32-20.

Guard Jarrett Jack led Brooklyn (7-19) with 26 points, center Brook Lopez had 18 points and forward Thaddeus Young contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Nets were a perfect 17 of 17 from the free throw line but were outscored 23-17 at the line.

"Brooklyn has players that have been All-Stars, and we didn't shoot the ball well," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said when asked why the Pacers struggled to win after beating Toronto on Monday night and Dallas on Wednesday. "When you don't shoot well, you have to find other ways to win. That is what we did.

"We have a deep team. You have to understand that Jordan Hill and Rodney Stuckey are guys who could be starters. We have a lot of balance in our lineup."

Brooklyn closed the third quarter on a 12-4 run, taking a 77-72 lead on Donald Sloan's jumper just ahead of the buzzer.

"We played extremely well for three quarters," Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. "We executed, getting what we wanted. We did a decent job defensively. But we struggled on the glass the whole game. In the fourth quarter, we got to stagnation and turned the ball over. They were able to capitalize at the end when the game still was in the balance."

Miles scored five consecutive Pacers points for a 68-65 lead with 4:45 left in the third quarter, but Jack countered with a field goal with 4:04 on the clock, pulling the Nets within 68-67.

George Hill, who finished with nine points, made two 3-pointers early in the third quarter, but Jack and Young continued to attack the basket and Indiana led only 59-58 with 7:03 remaining in the quarter.

Indiana struggled from three-point range during the first half -- 3 of 14 -- but still managed a 49-47 lead through 24 minutes, getting 10 points from George and a collective 23 from its bench, including nine from Stuckey and eight from forward Chase Buddinger.

"I thought at the start of the fourth quarter, they turned up their defense and did a good job of getting in the passing lanes," Jack said. "We just have to stay the course. We have to start playing a complete 48 minutes.

"We have struggled with that all year, whether we are at home or on the road. We gave ourselves a good opportunity to win tonight. For three quarters, we were in control."

NOTES: The injury-riddled Nets continued to play without F Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (fractured right ankle), G/F Sergey Karasev (sore left ankle), G Shane Larkin (concussion) and F Chris McCullough (right knee rehab) ... The Pacers were without F/C Myles Turner (fractured left thumb) ... Indiana G Monta Ellis, who scored 19 points in Wednesday's victory over Dallas, was in the starting lineup despite a sore right knee, as was F Paul George, who is shaking off an upper respiratory infection. ... Brooklyn had lost three in a row and was 1-11 in road games entering Friday night's game. ... Indiana had won three consecutive home games by an average margin of 18.3 points. ... Brooklyn came in ranking no better than 10th (opponents rebounds per game) in any NBA statistic. ... Indiana ranks second in 3-point field goal shooting percentage (38.8) and second in opponents' turnovers per game (17.0). ... Brooklyn won last season's three-game series 2-1, including a 123-111 victory in the only meeting in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Top Game Performances
 
Brooklyn   Indiana
Jarrett Jack 26 Scoring Paul George 23
Jarrett Jack 6 Assists Monta Ellis 5
Thaddeus Young 14 Rebounds Jordan Hill 11
Jarrett Jack 7 Free Throws Made Paul George 7
Jarrett Jack 3 Steals Monta Ellis 2
Jarrett Jack 2 Blocks CJ Miles 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Brooklyn 97 41.9 8-16 17-17 18 42 6 7 12
Indiana 104 41.6 7-28 23-26 17 52 4 4 11
Upcoming Games
  • Indiana will play their next game on the road against Memphis. The Pacers have a W/L % of .688 after a win and .556 after a loss.
  • Brooklyn will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Nets have a W/L % of .286 after a win and .263 after a loss.