Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Paul George scored 24 points and the Indiana Pacers beat the Brooklyn Nets for the second time this week, 105-91 on Saturday night.
The Pacers had four days off after beating the Nets in Brooklyn on Monday. Any rust from the layoff was gone by the second half, when Indiana pulled away for its fourth straight win.
George said the Pacers might have had a little too much energy and a case of the jitters in a sub-par first half.
"Sometimes you get away from playing under control," he said. "In the second half we brought the energy but we understood what we needed to do."
Lance Stephenson had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers, who improved to 14-1 at home this season. They are 3-0 against the Nets this season and 16-5 in the last 21 meetings.
George Hill added 21 points in the win and Indiana shot 53.5 percent.
Paul Pierce scored 18 points and Mirza Teletovic had 17 for the Nets, who have lost five of their last six. The only win in that stretch came over Milwaukee on Friday to snap a four-game slide.
Deron Williams chipped in 14 points and six assists for Brooklyn.
Indiana started the third quarter on a 14-5 run, stretching a two-point lead to 11. George scored five during the surge, including a 3-pointer from the right corner to cap it for a 72-61 advantage around four minutes in.
"Coming out of the locker room we knew Indiana is the best in the third quarter," said Nets coach Jason Kidd. "They've played from behind and always looked at the third quarter to gain the lead. They took control."
The Pacers carried an 86-76 lead into the fourth and went up by as many as 16 down the stretch. They outrebounded the Nets 41-28 and had 28 assists to Brooklyn's 13.
The Pacers led by as many as eight in the first quarter and 29-27 going into the second.
The Nets opened the second with a 16-8 run. Pierce scored six during the surge, the last two on a dunk that made it 43-37. Stephenson had four of his 12 second-quarter points in a 9-2 Pacers run that gave them the lead back and Indiana carried a 58-56 edge into halftime.
Game Notes
Roy Hibbert scored 11 points for Indiana and David West had 10 ... The Pacers remain home to play Cleveland on Tuesday in a New Year's Eve day game ... The Nets are at San Antonio on Tuesday.
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