Gerald Green scored a season-high 21 to guide the Indiana Pacers to an easy 104-84 victory over the Utah Jazz Wednesday night.
Paul George added 20 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocks, while George Hill had 20 points, five assists and five rebounds.
David West scored 13 points and grabbed four rebounds, while Roy Hibbert finished with 12 points against the Jazz.
The Pacers made 41 of 80 attempts from the field, to finish with a shooting percentage above 50 percent for the first time in the season.
"It's a big lift to really come out and play well on both sides of the floor," the Associated Press quoted George as saying. "We knew our defense was holding up.
"A lot of times, our defense holds up, it's just a matter of whether of if we're capitalizing on the other end."
A confident looking Pacers shot nine three-pointers in the game to match their largest win of the season, whereas the Jazz hit only two from beyond the 3-point arc.
"I think we trusted passing more than we have all season and that's what coach (Frank Vogel) has been preaching all year long," Hill said.
"If we can believe in each other, trust in each other, try to create a shot for each other rather than for yourself all the time, we can have great offensive nights like we did tonight."
Top scorer Green, who has been struggling with his shooting, came out with a vengeance after being dropped to the bench, making seven of 12 from the field, including four 3-pointers.
"We just want him being aggressive, and that's how guys get out of shooting slumps -- not by being hesitant, but by getting that green light and just go," Vogel said.
For the Jazz, Derrick Favors was the top scorer with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Alec Burks finished with 12 points. Mo Williams added 11 points for Utah, but the Jazz lost their third game out of the last four.
"They are a good defensive team," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said. "They took us out of what we wanted to do early. They forced a lot of late shot-clock shots, most of them from the perimeter."
The Pacers added 31 points in the first quarter against the Jazz's 23 to take an early lead in the game. With the help of George, the Pacers completely outclassed Utah 22-8 in the second quarter and led 53-31 at halftime. The Jazz's second quarter score is the lowest in the season.
"We took a defensive stand, communicating, helping one another, being in our gaps, making things tough, and when you do things like that, you know it's going to be a great night," Hill added.
The Jazz were a little better in the second half, but not remotely good enough to stop the Pacers from cruising to victory.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
