Thunder top Pacers in George's return to Indiana

[December 14, 2017]  INDIANAPOLIS -- Steven Adams scored 23 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 100-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

The Thunder (13-14) registered its first two-game season sweep of Indiana since 2012-13 and snapped the Pacers' four-game winning streak.

In his return to Indiana, Paul George was booed loudly when introduced and every time he touched the ball throughout the game.

George, a four-time All-Star, was traded to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis after he told the Pacers he didn't plan to re-sign with the team following the 2017-18 season. George was limited to 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting Wednesday.

Despite shooting 3 of 17 from the field, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook delivered his ninth triple-double of the season with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.

Oladipo led the Pacers (16-12) with 19 points, but had an rough shooting night, 9 of 26 from the floor. Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 for the Pacers and Thaddeus Young had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals.

Oladipo's driving layup sliced Indiana's deficit to 96-94 with 1:07 to go. Following a miss by Carmelo Anthony, Young was first ruled for an offensive foul but it was overturned. Young then hit the first for two throws to make it 96-95. A put-back by Alex Abrines gave the Thunder a 98-95 edge with 15.2 seconds remaining.

George came up with a steal and hit both free throws to make it 100-95 with 10.7 seconds left.

Indiana erased a five-point halftime deficit by opening the third quarter with a 11-2 spurt to take a 57-53 lead.

Thunder forward Paul George (13) greets Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (4) prior to their game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City eventually regained the advantage on a 3-pointer by George at 65-63 with 5:18 to go and led 73-69 after three quarters.

The Thunder sank 12 of 23 shots in the second quarter to produce a 29-19 edge in the period en route to a 51-46 lead at halftime.

Lance Stephenson sank a jumper at the first quarter buzzer to give the Pacers a 27-22 lead. The Thunder made just 8 of 22 shots (36.4 percent) in the opening quarter.

NOTES: Pacers G Darren Collison returned to the starting lineup after missing the Sunday game with a sore left knee. Collison scored 14 points Wednesday. ... Pacers F Thaddeus Young has scored in double figures in 23 games, including seven straight and 12 of 13. ... NBA commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Silver announced earlier in the day that Indianapolis will host 2021 All-Star Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Entering the game, Oklahoma City led NBA in steals per game (10.0) and opponents turnovers per game (18.0). The Thunder had 10 steals and the Pacers 13 turnovers on Wednesday night.

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.