The Indiana Pacers had their 5-game winning streak snapped against the LA Clippers with a 99-91 defeat at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
A lot of people will point to the fact that Roy Hibbert's suspension (for a pushing match with the Dubs' David Lee that spilled into the crowd) was the reason why the Pacers lost at home, where they are usually dominant, but the truth is, the Clippers are just too good right now. Chris Paul is just too good right now. Even with Hibbert, it would have been a tough matchup, but without him, the Pacers didn't really stand much of a chance, as Chris Paul dictated the pace (pun intended) on his way to 29 points and 8 assists.
David West, Paul George and George Hill all shot poorly, which did not help, but Granger looked pretty good in his third game back with 12 points on 5-10 shooting in 19 minutes off the bench.
I think this was a "good loss" for the Pacers in the sense that it gives them a reality check. Their recent play has had people talking them up as a huge threat to the Miami Heat, but the truth is they are probably only threat to the Heat in the East, which doesn't really mean a whole lot because LeBron and Miami are that much better than everyone else.
Still, if they can find a little more consistency, if Hibbert regains some of his offensive touch, and Danny Granger can get back to 80-90% by playoff time, you just never know.
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