It seemed that the Pacers would destroy when the New Orleans Hornets came to visit at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, without two key players in Carl Landry and Emeka Okafor. But boy, did they put up a fight.All-Star Roy Hibbert was able to get the Pacers past that, as the center went on for a career-high 30 points with 13 rebounds to help Indiana win in overtime, 117-108. Strong stretches by Paul George and Darren Collison also helped out in overtime for the victory as well.
"They came out very aggressive, took the game away from us and kind of knocked us back on our heels," Hibbert said. "We were able to exist, hang on and got key buckets in the fourth quarter."
George scored 20 points while Collison had 18 as Indiana won their third straight game. Trevor Ariza hit big shots for the Hornets in the fourth to help New Orleans force overtime, finishing with 21 points overall.
With five seconds remaining in the fourth, George got the ball and had an open shot after taking a stepback jumper. However, he fell short and just barely missed. However, into the extra quarter, Indiana jumped off to a 10-0 run to take a quick 113-102 lead. It followed by an awesome one-hand jammer by Darren Collison and a sweet windmill dunk from King George that clinched the victory.
The Hornets just couldn't compete in overtime. It was just too much for them, as they missed so many shots.
"We had our chances," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "We had our chance in overtime and couldn't hit a shot."
I'm glad Indiana got past, as they trailed several times during the game. They will face the Charlotte Bobcats again tonight. I look for Indiana to destroy, much like the 35-point beating they had on them in their last match-up a few days ago. If they get this victory, they'll be heading into All-Star break nicely, standing at a 21-12 record. Along with that, we get to see Paul George shows off his skills at the dunk contest.
But first things first: Indiana needs to get a victory tonight.
