The Indiana Pacers haven't been looking so good after two painful losses in a row after getting beat by Atlanta and Memphis on the road. It was the Pacers' first time losing consecutive games all season.
Heading back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana was looking for a bounce back win against the Denver Nuggets. It was a strong, close game up until the fourth quarter after a crucial mistake by David West in final seconds. Indiana still managed to come back and stay close for much of the game, but ended up losing in a 113-109 defeat.The Pacers led 35-26 at the end of the first, but Denver managed to tie it up at halftime at 60. Danny Granger and A.J. Price were on fire in the first half, having 20 points and 13 points respectively.
Late into the fourth quarter, the Nuggets had a commanding ten-point lead. Indiana kept fighting back, getting pairs of clutch three's from Paul George. But every time the Pacers managed to get a run, the Nuggets would come up on the following play and score. Much like the last game, turnovers and free throws were a problem for them.
But the big story was David West. West was solid for the whole game, with 22 points and seven rebounds. He helped Indiana come back and come within a 111-109 deficit.
With less than 20 seconds left, Indiana had one last chance to tie it up. West was the man for much of the quarter and Darren Collison hit him down low. West started posting up, but made a crucial mistake as he made a real bad pass to DC that ended up being over-the-back for Indy.
Arron Afflalo hit two free throws after being fouled with ten seconds left and it was basically game over from there.
"Obviously disappointed in the loss," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I thought our transition defense was good most of the night, which it has to be against this team. We had too many turnovers. That probably cost us the game."
Danny Granger finished with 26 points but was quiet for much of the second half, only producing six points. He just couldn't come up. Paul George would finish with 15 points. For the Nuggets, Ty Lawson was on fire with 27 points with Afflalo contributing towards 23. Corey Brewer also was in double-figures, with 19 points. Al Harrington played a huge role off the bench, with ten points and six boards along with solid defense.
This loss drops the Pacers to three straight and it now has them standing at a 17-10 record. They have a nice few days off, but they are in for a very tough game on Tuesday night as they host the Miami Heat. Last time they met a few months ago, they got destroyed.
We'll see what Indiana does against the NBA's best team.
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