Pacers 111, Spurs 100
SAN ANTONIO -- Forward Paul George had 28 points and six assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 111-100 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in a battle between the top teams in the Eastern and Western conferences.
George was perfect from the 3-point line (4 of 4) and the free throw line (6 of 6).
Indiana (18-2) boasts the best record in the league but had lost the last 11 straight games to the Spurs with their last win in San Antonio on Jan. 4, 2002.
The Pacers, who shot 54 percent from the field, had five other players in double figures. All starters scored, including forward David West with 20 points, center Roy Hibbert with 12 (10 rebounds), and guards Lance Stephenson with 15 and George Hill with 12. Forward Luis Scola added 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
San Antonio (15-4) was led by forward Kawhi Leonard with 18 points. Guards Manu Gilobili added 16 points, Tony Parker 13, Patty Mills 10 and forward Tim Duncan 10 for the Spurs, who had not played since Monday's win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Center Tiago Splitter did not play the second half, held out with tightness in his left calf. He had two points.
The highly anticipated matchup lived up to its billing early as both teams traded leads. San Antonio shot 55 percent from the field in the first quarter to jump on top early, 28-20.
The Spurs looked to be in control until Indiana erased the Spurs 13-point lead in the second quarter that San Antonio. From that point on, the Pacers outscored San Antonio 30-13 to take a 52-48 halftime lead.
George had 11 of his 17 first-half points in the second quarter.
Indiana extended its lead to 26 points in the fourth quarter when Scola connected on two free throws to make it 99-73 with 7:40 to play.
San Antonio cut the lead to 10 points on a Mills 3-pointer with a minute and half left, but there was not enough time get the lead back for the Spurs, who suffered their second loss at home.
The Pacers, in their first game of a back-to-back, will play Oklahoma City on Sunday.
NOTES: The Pacers are the top defensive team in the NBA. They are allowing a league low in points (87.5) and field goal percentage (39.5) per game. .... Pacers G George Hill played three seasons (2008-11) for the Spurs before being traded to Indiana in June 2011. San Antonio received the draft rights to three players in the deal, including F Kawhi Leonard. ... The Spurs entered the game with a 15-3 record through an all-around team effort. No San Antonio player on the roster is in the top 25 in points and rebounds and only one player (G Tony Parker) is averaging more than 30 minutes a game. ... With his third bucket in the first quarter, F Tim Duncan became the 21st player in NBA history to score 24,000 points in his career. ... San Antonio was scheduled to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in Mexico City, but smoky conditions in the arena caused the game to be postponed. That game will be made up at a later date.
