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 Paul George chipped in with 14 points, Lance Stephenson had 13 and Tyler Hansbrough 12 for the Pacers, who can clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
Kyrie Irving scored 29 points and Indiana native Tyler Zeller had 18 before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter for Cleveland, which allowed the Pacers to break off a 25-4 run in the fourth for a 93-92 lead.
Irving hit two free throws to put Cleveland up 94-93, but George knocked down a 3-pointer with 29.9 seconds left to put the Pacers back in front. Jeff Pendergraph then drew a charge on Irving on the ensuing possession and Indiana held on.
Irving and Zeller kept the Cavs alive in the first quarter after the Pacers jumped out to a 20-8 lead. Zeller hit three jumpers from the right elbow and finished the quarter with 14 points
-- nearly double his season average.
The Cavs cut the lead to 29-26 after the first 12 minutes.
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Indiana's defense struggled for the third consecutive game before picking it up in the fourth.
The Cavs led 53-48 at halftime while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and despite just two free throw attempts in the half.
The Pacers shot 31.6 percent from the field in the second quarter and 38.1 percent in the opening half. They ended the first quarter with a shot clock violation and added two more in the first 2:14 of the second. Indiana had five violations in the game.
Indiana was outscored 31-16 in the third quarter.
NOTES: Indiana coach Frank Vogel was ejected in the third quarter for arguing with officials. ... The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Pacers. ... Cleveland came in ranked 29th in the league NBA in field goal percentage.
[Associated
Press]
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