Preview: Pacers at Spurs

[March 01, 2017]  The Indiana Pacers recovered from a 17-point deficit to knock off one 40-plus win team on Monday and will try to avoid a similar hole when they take on another with a visit to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Pacers stumbled into the All-Star break with losses in six straight games but took two of three since - with both wins coming against top eight teams from the Western Conference.

Indiana was down 18-2 in the opening minutes at Houston on Monday before clawing back to earn a 117-108 win. "We got off to a slow start and the only thing we had to do was stay together," All-Star forward Paul George told reporters. "We didn't have time at that point to get on ourselves and we needed to try to win the game, and we had to do it together. We did a great job of collecting our thoughts, we went to the bench and talked and we won every quarter after the first." The Spurs are finally back home after the annual Rodeo Road Trip, during which they went 6-2 and finished out with four straight wins - including a 110-106 triumph at Indiana. “It was a good trip,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. “We had one bad night out of 11 or 12 days. I thought they maintained their focus really well, especially coming back off the break and playing the last couple of games. I thought we did a good job."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Indiana, FSN Southwest (San Antonio)

ABOUT THE PACERS (31-29): Indiana was outscored 30-16 in the fourth quarter of a 113-95 loss at Miami on Saturday and came away discouraged but refused to get down on itself on Monday. "This is the first game I felt like we really just stuck together," point guard Jeff Teague told reporters. "Nobody really got down. We all were just kind of cheering each other on and kept competing. The second unit did a great job of just bringing it." Teague led the way with 25 points in Monday's win while the bench totaled 48 points, led by Rodney Stuckey's 17.

ABOUT THE SPURS (45-13): San Antonio got some time to adjust to being back in Texas with two full days off after topping the Los Angeles Lakers 119-98 on Sunday and will play its first game at home since Feb. 4 on Wednesday. "It’s always good for us to be on the road. You wouldn’t ask for this," power forward LaMarcus Aldridge told ESPN.com. “But being on the road so long, being able to have to do it every night, you kind of become closer because you’re grinding together. That always makes you better." The Spurs benefitted over the last two games from the return of Pau Gasol, who averaged 16 points in the two contests after sitting out 15 games with a fractured finger.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. George is averaging 11.3 points - down from a season mark of 21.7 - on 11-of-36 shooting in three games since the All-Star break.

2. Spurs C Dewayne Dedmon is 11-of-13 from the field over his last three games.

3. San Antonio took five of the last six meetings.

PREDICTION: Spurs 114, Pacers 100

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