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 On Tuesday night at the Moda Center, things were different for both
George and the Indiana Pacers.
George scored a season-low 11 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers
overcame a slow start to beat Indiana 123-111, ending the Pacers'
six-game winning streak.
Guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 47 points for the
Trail Blazers, who lost three of their previous four games. Lillard
scored 26 points and McCollum added 21 to lead six Blazers scoring
in double figures.
Forward C.J. Miles scored 27 points for the Pacers, who also got 18
points from guard George Hill and 17 from guard Rodney Stuckey.
"It was just one of those nights," said George, who was 4-for-17
from the field -- including 0-for-9 from 3-point range -- and
committed five turnovers in 34 minutes.
Portland forward Al-Farouq Aminu -- nicknamed "The Chief" -- had the
primary defensive responsibility for George.
"It started with 'Chief,'" McCollum said. "He took that as a
personal challenge to stop one of the better players in the league.
Credit to 'Chief' and all the other guys who guarded him."
Controlling George was a big part of the Portland game plan.
"We wanted to make him play against a crowd," Lillard said. "He was
(Eastern Conference) player of the month, had been getting 30 on
everybody.
"We knew there wasn't going to be one guy to go out there and stop
him. We made sure we shrunk the floor. Guys were physical. He felt
our team. It wasn't easy for us, and it wasn't easy for him."
Portland (8-12) shot 51.8 percent from the field and made a
season-high 18 3-pointers, firing at a 50 percent clip from beyond
the arc to overcome a 10-0 deficit in the game's first 90 seconds.
The Blazers' 123 points were a season high and the most scored
against the Pacers this season.
"After a slow start, a very complete game for us," Portland coach
Terry Stotts said. "It was a pretty good win against an excellent
team."
Indiana (12-6) increased its early 10-0 lead to 28-16, but Portland
closed the gap to 31-28 after one quarter.
The Blazers tied it at 35-35, but with forward Chase Budinger
scoring 10 quick points, Indiana regained the lead at 54-47. Lillard
keyed a 7-0 surge that got Portland even again at 54-54, and the
Pacers took a three-point advantage into halftime.
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Portland scored the first six points of the third quarter to go on
top 62-59, then extended it to 79-71 midway through the period.
The Blazers rained in four consecutive 3-pointers before Portland
forward Ed Davis' put-back made it 94-84 with two minutes left in
the quarter. Portland finished with 41 third-quarter points on
14-for-24 shooting to take a 97-90 advantage into the final period.
Forward Meyers Leonard's hook shot upped the Blazers' advantage to
105-95, but the Pacers used an 8-0 run to slice the difference to
105-103. Portland forward Crabbe sank back-to-back treys to hike the
lead to 116-109, and Blazers center Mason Plumlee followed with a
layup to make it 118-111 with 3:04 remaining.
Moments later, Plumlee's dunk pushed Portland's edge to 120-111, and
it was over.
Indiana coach Frank Vogel was most impressed by the Blazers'
offensive performance.
"They moved the ball well," Vogel said. "They were a step quicker to
everything tonight. They got penetration, forced (defensive) help
and chain reaction, got a lot of open looks and made us pay for it.
They just played a terrific game."
NOTES: Portland has won seven consecutive home games against Indiana
dating to 2008. ... Indiana F Paul George entered the game ranked
second in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 46.3 percent, but he was
0-for-9 from long range Thursday. ... Indiana coach Paul Vogel, on
George's selection as Eastern Conference player of the month for
November during George's first full month of NBA play since knee
surgery in August 2014: "Paul worked his tail off, both during the
rehab process last year and in the summer, to get his game right."
George had averaged 30.5 points over his previous 13 games. ... The
Pacers, who beat the Clippers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, conclude
their four-game road trip Saturday at Utah.
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