George makes All-Star case in Pacers win
by Mike Wells, USA TODAY Sports
INDIANAPOLIS — OK, OK, it’s time to quit the talk about Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George possibly being an All Star.
He is an All Star.
End of story. Retire the subject because it would be foolish to even bring it up again.
George continued his dominating play when he scored 31 points to lead the Pacers to a 105-95 victory Friday night against the Houston Rockets. The Pacers have won 11 consecutive home games and start a four-game West Coast road trip Monday at the Memphis Grizzlies.
George could be named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve next Thursday.
He looked like he was on his way to career night when he scored 18 points in the first quarter. In fact, the Rockets scored the same number of points as George in the quarter.
The Pacers led by 13 points at the end of the first quarter and eventually led by as many as 16 points. The Rockets got to as close as three points several times, but the Pacers routinely pushed their lead back up.
In a battle of the top-ranked defense against the top-ranked offense in the league, it was the defense that came out on top.
The Pacers held the Rockets to 41% shooting and forced them into 18 turnovers.
David West added 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Pacers.
James Harden, one of the top scorers in the league, only scored 17 points for the Rockets.
Center Omer Asik led the Rockets with 22 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Mike Wells writes for The Indianapolis Star.
… [For more on Paul George makes All-Star case as Pacers top Rockets, click here.]
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