Bogdanovic leads Pacers past Clippers

[March 24, 2018]  Bojan Bogdanovic scored 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 109-104 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in Indianapolis.

It was the 13th time Bogdanovic scored 20 or more points this season. The Pacers forward averaged 6.8 points in the previous five games. Indiana's Thaddeus Young delivered 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Victor Oladipo added 18 points despite a 4-of-16 shooting effort.

The Pacers' magic number for clinching a playoff spot is one.

Lou Williams led the Clippers with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Tobias Harris scored 18 points for Los Angeles, and DeAndre Jordan added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Bogdanovic scored 17 points in the first half to guide the Pacers a 58-53 lead at the break. Indiana scored the final five points of the half.

The Pacers started the third quarter with a 17-4 run to push the difference to 75-57 lead with 6:20 left. That 18-point lead was short-lived, however, as the Clippers held a 19-7 edge the rest of the period to close the deficit to 82-76 heading to the fourth.

The Clippers regained the lead at 88-87 on Harris' pull-up jumper with 7:36 left in the fourth quarter. The teams traded the lead several times the rest of the game.

Darren Collison's jumper gave the Pacers a 104-102 lead with 1:09 left. Following a Clippers turnover, Young had a put-back to push the Pacers' lead to 108-102. Oladipo sank two free throws to make it 108-102 with 25.4 seconds left.

 

Pacers forward Bojan Bogdanovic (44) looks to pass the ball while LA Clippers forward Sam Dekker (7) and forward Montrezl Harrell (5) defend in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Clippers shot 55.3 percent overall (42 of 76) while the Pacers shot 46.2 percent (43 of 93) for the game. The Clippers had 15 turnovers, six more than the Pacers. Indiana held a 41-33 rebounding edge.

There were 13 lead changes and three ties by halftime. Los Angeles made 22 of 40 shots in the first half, 55 percent. The Pacers hit 23 of 49 shots, 46.9 percent, before intermission.

The Clippers hit 11 of 19 shots to take a 28-27 lead after the first quarter.

The Pacers played their fifth consecutive game without backup center Domantas Sabonis, who is sidelined due to a sprained left ankle.

--Field Level Media

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