Indianapolis, IN – Paul George led six Indiana players in double-figures and recorded for his first career triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, as the Pacers pushed past the Charlotte Bobcats, 101-77, on Wednesday.
George, who heads into the midseason break for his first All-Star Game, responded well following a 1-of-10 shooting effort for just five points in Monday's loss versus Brooklyn.
Tyler Hansbrough, starting in place of an injured David West, added a double- double with 19 points and 10 boards for the Pacers, who bounced back from back-to-back overtime losses at home following a season-high five-game winning streak. Roy Hibbert contributed 10 points and eight rebounds and George Hill donated 11 in the victory.
"Paul George, first triple-double ever," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "It wasn't 11 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, it was a beast of a triple-double, 23, 12 and 12 and only one turnover. Very, very impressive. Very, very proud of how he keeps growing and very, very proud to have him representing us in the All-Star Game next week."
West suffered a scratched eye in the Pacers' 89-84 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Byron Mullens paced Charlotte with 19 points and Bismack Biyombo scored five points, but snagged 16 rebounds for the Bobcats, who have lost eight of their last nine games despite coming off a surprising victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday.
The Pacers went on a 9-2 run to close out the first half, where Hansbrough had 15 of his points on 6-of-9 shooting. The former North Carolina Tarheel broke a tie during the surge with a steal and slam dunk with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
Around the midway point of the third quarter, Hansbrough's jumper from the right wing increased the margin to 63-54. Orlando Johnson then went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with eight seconds remaining in the quarter to make it 70-60 in favor of Indiana.
The Bobcats slowly faded as the game entered the fourth, while Johnson and Hill increased the edge to 15 points under one minute into the quarter on a layup and a 3-pointer.
The lead quickly mounted to 87-66 on Hill's triple with seven minutes remaining before the Pacers cruised to the much-need victory,
Indiana held a 30-29 edge after one quarter of play and headed into the break with a 49-46 cushion.
"We only scored 31 points in the second half," Mullens said. "That's what it came down to. They just got out to a really good run and the rest is history."
Game Notes
The Pacers originally hoped Danny Granger, who has yet to play this season, would make his debut Wednesday night, but an illness kept him out of the lineup ... Indiana had won five straight and 15 in a row at home before suffering the rare back-to-back home losses ... Indiana has defeated Charlotte 12 of the last 13 games in the series, including nine straight at home ... The Bobcats committed 16 turnovers, while the Pacers committed just seven ... Indiana outscored the visitors 50-20 in the paint.
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