Despite a game-high 34 points from James Harden, Paul George (25 points) and the Indiana Pacers held on for a 104-101 win Sunday night against the visiting Houston Rockets.
PG scored 16 of his 25 in the first quarter.
Monta Ellis added 23 points for the Pacers.
Per the AP:
Paul George did the bulk of his work for the Indiana Pacers early on, and then Monta Ellis and Ian Mahinmi came through at the end. […] Ellis scored 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including the go-ahead basket with 4:46 remaining to give the Pacers a 96-95 lead. Mahinmi, who tied his career high with 19 points, followed up with back-to-back baskets to give the Pacers a 104-101 lead.
The Pacers are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets dropped to eighth in the West and are trying to stay in the chase for the playoffs.
Houston recorded its second-lowest 3-point percentage in a game this season and was held to 21.2 percent from behind the arc. […] “They missed some open 3-pointers, but overall, I thought our 3-point defense was good,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “They hurt us and got back in the game in the third quarter when they went small, and James Harden really got going.”
