INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Paul George had 33 points and nine rebounds while hounding James Harden on defense most of the night, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 120-101 rout of the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Indiana has won three straight.
Clearly, Harden was not himself on the last leg of a five-game road trip. He was 3 of 17 from the field, 2 of 10 on 3-pointers, and scored 15 points with eight turnovers. Harden also had five rebounds and eight assists.
Ryan Anderson led the Rockets with 27 points.
But it was never really close.
Indiana led 33-20 after the first quarter, allowed Houston to get as close as six late in the first half and then pushed the lead to 20 in the third quarter. Houston never got closer than 12 in the second half.
George topped the 30-point mark for the fourth consecutive game by going 13 of 23 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3-point range.
He had plenty of help, too. Myles Turner had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Jeff Teague had 17 points and 15 assists, and Glenn Robinson III added 14 points off the bench.
Houston, meanwhile, shot 41.0 percent from the field and was just 11 of 39 on 3s. Eric Gordon finished with 14 points in front of his hometown fans after returning from a tight lower back that had kept him out of the previous two games.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Have lost four of their last five in Indianapolis. … The 19-point loss matched Houston’s most lopsided of the season. … The Rockets have now attempted 2,015 3s this season. … Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell each had 10 points…. Five of Houston’s last seven losses have come by 10 or more points.
Pacers: Finished January with a 9-4 record while averaging 110.8 points. … Turner had his sixth double-double in 13 games and added four blocks – the 12th time this season he’s had at least four in a game. … The Pacers improved to 18-6 at home this season.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Will go after their seventh straight home win over Sacramento on Tuesday at the start of a four-game homestand.
Pacers: Face former coach Frank Vogel for the third time this season when they visit Orlando on Wednesday. Indiana has won the first two games this season.
