PG blocked at buzzer, Pacers lose by 1 to Bulls

Good to see the Pacers battle a really good team in the Bulls all the way down to the wire. The Pacers never led and trailed by as much as 15 in the third quarter, but rallied down the stretch to close within one on the final possession of the game.

Paul George, who continued his hot streak with 26, 7 and 5 tonight, got the ball and drove into the lane before pulling up for a tough 10-footer. Jimmy Butler was right there to contest the shot and got a piece of the ball. PG thought he was fouled (he usually does), but even replays showed that a foul should not have been called.

So the Pacers lose, 96-95, snapping a three-game winning streak and dropping the team to 6-5 on the season.

I would have loved a win, but if not, a close loss against a top team is the next best thing. Not a bad effort by the Pacers considering George Hill was out with an upper respiratory infection and Rodney Stuckey was again out with that ankle injury.

This allowed Joe Young to get real minutes for the first time this season, and he did OK, hitting a jump shot and 3 of 4 free throws en route to 5 points and no turnovers. Solomon Hill got some minutes too, and he was 2-5 for 4 points in 13 minutes.

What I liked was seeing Monta Ellis backing up his solid performance last game with another strong outing, posting 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists on 9-20 shooting. If he can play like this every night the Pacers will be fine.

CJ Miles returned from injury and shot very well, 6-12 overall and 5-8 from three to finish with 19 points, though he missed a big one down the stretch that would have out the Pacers over the top.

As long as the Pacers keep beating the teams they are supposed to beat and just lose the tough road games they should be sitting pretty by the end of the season.

Next up, a team they should definitely beat, the win-less Philadelphia 76ers. It’s a dangerous game, though, as the 76ers will be itching for a win, especially at home, and they have big men to exploit the Pacers’ weak front line.