Pacers Suffer Rare Home Loss
Roy Hibbert and the Pacers couldn’t fend off Goran Dragic and the Suns.
The Circle City has been good to the Indiana Pacers this year but even the best home court advantage doesn’t stand up the whole season.
The Pacers suffered just their second home loss of the season Thursday, a 102-94 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Suns.
Just eight days after being handed a 124-100 defeat in the desert by those same Suns, the Pacers hoped to extract a little revenge in Indianapolis. Revenge wasn’t to be served on this night though.
The run-and-gun Suns jumped out to a 36-19 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
Point guard Goran Dragic led the charge with 28 points and seven assists on the night, while Gerald Green added 16 points and four boards.
The tandem of Alex Len and Marfieff Morris combined for 31 points off the bench, as the Suns’ reserves outscored Indiana’s bench 40-7.
The Pacers got some stellar performances of their own though.
Roy Hibbert, who was announced as an All-Star earlier in the evening, led the team with 26 points, adding six rebounds and pair of blocks along the way.
All-Star starter Paul George had a quiet night shooting, but still managed to tally a double-double, with 12 points and 12 boards.
Meanwhile, Lance Stephenson’s excellent form continued as he went one better with a triple-double, notching 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
David West contributed 18 points while George Hill added 17.
But it was the Suns that were to come away from Indianapolis with the spoils.
Jeff Hornacek’s side limited the Pacers to 1 of 15 shooting from beyond the arc, while netting 8 of 17 three-pointers of its own.
The Suns’ high-tempo offense resulted in a 21-0 advantage in fast break points, which helped offset a 56-14 deficit in points in the paint. But ultimately it was that fast start in the first quarter that made the difference.
The loss marked Indiana’s third defeat in five games, with two of those losses coming at the hands of Phoenix. It also saw Frank Vogel’s side slip behind the Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for the league’s best record.
Indiana (35-10) will now prepare for Saturday’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets, a team the Pacers have defeated in three straight.
You can get trends for that game here.
Phoenix (28-18) will return home to host the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday. The Suns have won four in a row against the Bobcats.
Trends for that game are available here.
Vegas Impact
Having entered the game favored by as many as 12 points, Indiana (29-16-0 ATS) failed to cover the spread for the fourth time in five games. Prior to this stretch, Vogel’s side had enjoyed a purple patch, covering the spread in 12 of 14 games.
Meanwhile, Phoenix (30-14-2 ATS) covered the spread for the fourth straight game and sixth time in seven contests. The Suns remain the league’s best team against the spread.
The total (200.5) went under for the second straight game involving Indiana. Prior to this short streak, Indiana had seen the total go over in six of the last seven, with the remaining game seeing a push.
The total went under for the third time in Phoenix’s last five games.
All-Star Selections
Roy Hibbert will join team mate Paul George and coach Frank Vogel on the 2014 Eastern Conference All-Star squad after being selected by the league’s coaches as one of the conference’s seven reserves.
Hibbert will be making his second All-Star appearance after playing in the 2012 game in Orlando.
The last time two Pacers went to the All-Star Game was in 2004, when Ron Artest and Jermaine O’Neal played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Pacers guard Lance Stephenson was left off the squad in what is considered by some to have been this year’s biggest snub.
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and NBA.com’s Fran Blinebury were amongst those to voice their support of Stephenson, while Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz described the omission as being “not exactly the crime of the century.â€
Phoenix guard Goran Dragic has reason to believe his own name not being called was a poor showing on the part of Western Conference coaches.
As on Thursday, Dragic has been the beating heart of one of the most surprising teams in the league this season, and deserved some recognition. But with Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Damian Lillard all receiving nods, any complaint Dragic might have will quickly be hushed by the talent that will be on the floor in New Orleans.
The All-Star reserves selections in full are as follows:
Eastern Conference
- Chris Bosh (Miami)
- DeMar DeRozan (Toronto)
- Roy Hibbert (Indiana)
- Joe Johnson (Brooklyn)
- Paul Millsap (Atlanta)
- Joakim Noah (Chicago)
- John Wall (Washington)
Western Conference
- LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland)
- James Harden (Houston)
- Dwight Howard (Houston)
- Damian Lillard (Portland)
- Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
- Tony Parker (San Antonio)
- Chris Paul (LA Clippers)
The 63rd All-Star Game will come live from New Orleans Arena on Sunday, February 16, with tip-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
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