George Hill had a season-high 26 points and Paul George scored 11 of his 26 points during the decisive run Monday, leading the Pacers to a 98-84 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Indianapolis.
Indiana has won four straight since losing at Chicago, is 13-1 for the first time in franchise history, and remained perfect in eight home games this season.
And the NBA’s hottest team won this game with the same script it has been using all season -- a strong defense.
The Timberwolves shot just 32.6 percent from the field and were held to a season-low point total. Their previous worst was 92 points at Cleveland on Nov. 4.
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Kevin Love finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Minnesota managed to hang around most of the night -- until George led the Pacers on a 14-2 run that turned a 66-65 deficit into a 79-70 lead.
And after digging themselves into a 20-6 deficit midway through the first quarter, the Timberwolves spent the rest of the night playing catch-up. They didn’t tie the score again until Nikola Pekovic hit two free throws to make it 61-all with 4:53 left in the third quarter.
Minnesota took the lead twice after that -- for a total of 22 seconds, the second time coming when Kevin Martin made three throws to give the Timberwolves a 66-65 edge with 3:09 to go in the quarter.
That’s when George and the Pacers switched things into high gear.
George drove to the basket, drawing a foul and made two free throws. He came up with a steal on the ensuing possession and drove in for a highlight-reel windmill dunk to make it 69-66. When the Pacers missed their next shot, George came up with the loose ball again and made a nifty behind-the-back pass to David West, who jogged in for a layup. West closed out the 8-0 portion of the run with a 6-foot runner to give Indiana a 73-66 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.
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Then George opened the fourth quarter with two more baskets as the Pacers extended their lead to as much as 92-73 and Minnesota never got within double digits again.
Martin and Pekovic each finished with 18 points.
Heat 107, Suns 92 — LeBron James scored 35 points on only 14 shots from the field, Dwyane Wade added 21 points and 12 assists, and Miami rolled over Phoenix for its seventh straight victory.
Ray Allen scored 17 points and Chris Andersen added an 11-point, seven-rebound night for the Heat, who have won 10 of 11 since their 1-2 start.
Channing Frye led a balanced attack with 16 points for the Suns, who have dropped five of their last seven.
Pistons 113, Bucks 94 — Brandon Jennings made four consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter against his former team, and host Detroit overwhelmed Milwaukee with a dazzling first half.
Jennings was traded from Milwaukee to Detroit last offseason after four seasons with the Bucks. He hadn’t been shooting well for the Pistons, but that changed right away Monday, when he led Detroit on a 21-0 run toward the end of the first quarter.
The Pistons led, 38-18, after one and by as many as 34 in the third.