In a throwaway season like this one, every quality win is something fans ought to savor. So please, go ahead and savor tonight’s impressive 103-99 win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Yes, the Pacers had some luck on their side, but you need a little more than just luck to beat a streaking team on a 12-game winning streak. And yet the Pacers somehow did it, rallying from a 9-point fourth quarter deficit to pull out the victory with some big baskets down the stretch.
It was a team effort with some notable performances, beginning with David West, who channeled beast mode to score 20 points and grab 13 rebounds in thoroughly dominating Kevin Love (5 points, 8 rebounds, 2-8 shooting). CJ Miles was on fire in the fourth and scored 26 overall to lead all Pacers, while George Hill had 20, including a 4-point play that proved to be the turning point in the game.
With the Pacers down 92-91 after a Shumpert three, Hill dribbled around a Roy Hibbert screen with Kyrie Irving guarding him, and when Irving tried to fight through the screen he raised his forearm, making contact with Hill’s neck. Thinking quick on his feet, Hill launched an off-balance, one-armed three as the whistle sounded, and Bankers Life Fieldhouse erupted when the ball hit nothing but the bottom of the net. Hill hit the free throw too to complete the four-point play and give the Pacers a 3-point lead they would not relinquish.
The whole starting five played well. Solomon Hill shrugged off a slow start to finish with 11, including a massive throwdown in the fourth quarter to get the rally started and a nifty turnaround jumper in the lane. Hibbert was solid and had 10 and 8 in 40 minutes, including a clutch 20-foot jumper to keep the Pacers right in it. The bench combined to score just 16 points, but when the starters play like this it’s not really needed.
The Pacers are now 19-32 on the season and just 2.5 games outside of the playoff picture. Next up, the Pacers try to get revenge against Lance Stephenson and the Hornets in Charlotte after an overtime loss against them in their previous matchup. The Pacers have not won three in a row all season, so perhaps this is the time to make it happen.
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