Neues » rushed his return to the court

WASHINGTON -- With an emphasis on defence, Paul George, Roy Hibbert and the rest of the Indiana Pacers are suddenly performing the way they did at the start of the season. And they dont care how ugly the product might look. Playing precisely the way they did to earn the No. 1 seed -- before a late-season swoon -- the Pacers held the Wizards to a franchise-low scoring total Friday night to win 85-63 and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series. "Listen, we dont worry about if were looking good for TV. The other teams can do that, can fill that void with fancy basketball. We dont worry about that," Indiana forward David West said. "Were OK with this. We can win games in the 80s." Set aside Georges 23 points, and neither team looked good on offence. Not at all. It was 17-all after the first quarter, and the Pacers led 34-33 at halftime, only the 13th time teams combined for 67 or fewer points in a playoff game in the shot-clock era, according to STATS. After allowing 102 points in Washingtons Game 1 victory, Indiana has won two in a row, including holding the Wizards to 82 in Game 2. Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in Washington. "This was probably the ugliest game of the post-season thus far. This is our style of basketball," said George, who helped limit Bradley Beal to 6-for-19 shooting. "Thats what we do. Whether you like it or not, are a fan of watching our games or not, defence is what we hang our hats on." Washington made only 24 field goals, a team post-season worst, on 73 attempts, 32.9 per cent. That included 4 of 16 on 3s, and it didnt get much better on free throws, where the Wizards were 11 of 21. "A clunker," Wizards coach Randy Wittman called it. The Wizards never had scored fewer than 75 points in a playoff game -- the previous low came in a first-round series-ending victory against Chicago 1 1/2 weeks ago -- or fewer than 64 in a regular-season game. The 63 points also matched the fourth-lowest total by any club since 1954-55, according to STATS. "They took us out of our comfort zone offensively," Wizards forward Drew Gooden said. "We were overly confident. ... This is a humbling experience for us." So much for the bandwagon-hopping in Washington. There were boos on occasion, and most of the fans started heading to the exits after Georges 3 with 3 1/2 minutes left made it 75-58. The 7-foot-2 Hibbert was again a factor for Indiana at both ends, coming up with three blocks and forcing Washingtons players to alter other shots. He also contributed 14 points and five rebounds. Before tip-off Friday, Pacers coach Frank Vogel was asked if he sensed which version of Hibbert would show up -- the zero-point, zero-rebound disaster of Game 1 or the 28-point, nine-rebound dominator of Game 2. Vogels reply, offered with a smile: "Probably somewhere in the middle of Game 1 and Game 2." Turned out to be exactly right. "In the past two games," George said about the All-Star centre, "hes been great at just defending our basket." Beals perspective? "Im 6-3, 6-4. Hes 7-2," Beal said. "So you do the math." John Wall, Washingtons point guard, had five turnovers in his previous four games, but he had seven Friday, to go along with 15 points and six assists. Trevor Ariza had 12 points, but zero in the second half. Marcin Gortat scored four points one game after having 21. And Nene had eight points on 3-of-14 shooting and only three rebounds. "Johns got to go out and play aggressive," Wittman said. "I thought he had some indecision in transition -- Do I go? Do I dont go? -- which gets you caught up in the air and some turnovers that way." Washingtons woes shouldnt have been too surprising, given that the Pacers ranked No. 2 in the 30-team NBA in team defence during the regular season, allowing only 92.3 points per game. Not only that, but Washingtons two lowest-scoring games all season -- 66 points in one, 73 in the other -- came in losses to Indiana. And now that version of the Pacers might be back. "It feels like it," George said. "Gradually, were taking baby steps." NOTES: Pacers F Luis Scola was called for a technical foul for shoving Martell Webster in the back as the ball went out of bounds early in the second quarter. ... NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Bob Griese Jersey . The German has taken the pole for three straight races -- winning the first two. Hes aiming for a third consecutive win at the Yeongam circuit and, most importantly, a fourth consecutive F1 championship. Ryan Fitzpatrick Womens Jersey . -- Without Carey Price, the run for a first Stanley Cup in 21 years got steeper and longer for the Montreal Canadiens. http://www.authenticdolphinspro.com/Chri...olphins-jersey/. While plenty of statistics illustrate Torontos turnaround in the second year of manager Ryan Nelsens tenure, stopping goals is not one of them. Dan Marino Youth Jersey . "Hes over there," the first baseman said. "You dont need to talk to anybody else." Indeed, Peralta did it all as the majors top team won again. Mike Gesicki Youth Jersey . Saskatchewans Darian Durant is expected to miss the rest of the Roughriders season with a torn tendon in his right elbow. The 32-year-old, who will undergo surgery in the next couple days to repair the injury, was added to the teams six-game injury list Tuesday. SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- An anonymous rookie several weeks ago, Ray McCallum is making opponents take note of his game. Rudy Gay scored nine of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and McCallum had a career-high 27 points to help the Sacramento Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-102 on Wednesday night. McCallum, the 36th overall pick in the 2013 draft, spent the majority of his rookie season with little court time, other than some strong performances in the D-League. But McCallum, who has started the last five games due to the deep quadriceps injury to Isaiah Thomas, has played like a savvy veteran point guard of late. Against the Lakers, McCallum made 12 of 22 shots and added five assists and four rebounds in 46 minutes. With McCallum directing the offence, the Kings only committed eight turnovers, three by the poised rookie. "Every time I think he cant get any better he finds a way to prove me wrong," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "The biggest thing that impresses me isnt his scoring or his assists. Its his demeanour, his composure, and his poise." McCallum had 22 points and 10 assists Monday in a victory at New Orleans. "Sometimes in this league the opportunity only comes once," said McCallum, who played three seasons at the University of Detroit where he was coached by his father, Ray McCallum Sr. "Im trying to take advantage of it. The game is definitely slowing down and Im getting more comfortable." Theres nothing comfortable regarding the Lakers right now. It was one more game where they played with a depleted roster. Missing the game were Pau Gasol (vertigo), Steve Nash (ankle), Chris Kaman (calf) and Xaiver Henry (multiple injuries). Los Angeles lost its second straight and fourth in five games. The Lakers, losers of six straight road games, are 11-27 away from home this season. The Lakers (25-50) are experiencing only their eighth losing season since moving west from Minneapolis in 1960. They are on pace to have their worst record in the Los Angeles era. The last time the Lakers had 50 or more losses was 1974-75 (30-52). "Weve had a tough (road) trip. But there were a lot of opportunities for a lot of our guys," Lakers coach Mike DAntonio said. "They should be taking these opportunities to get better and try to get some wins." Jodie Meeks scored 21 points and Jordan Hill hadd 18 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter for the Lakers.ddddddddddddNick Young, who scored 40 points Tuesday in a loss to Portland, had 17 points and Kent Bazemore added 14. DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie guard Ben McLemore had 12 points for Sacramento. Foul trouble plagued Cousins in the opening half when he played only 10 minutes and had eight points and three fouls. Cousins picked up his fourth foul with 7:11 left in the third quarter and went to the bench a short time later. Sacramento, which avoided a series sweep, scored nine straight points early in the second quarter and didnt trail again in winning its second straight. The Lakers had won the first three meetings this season and beaten their Pacific Division rivals five consecutive overall. "Absolutely we wanted this win," Cousins said. "We definitely didnt want to get swept." Hill hit a jumper and Ryan Kelly followed with a dunk, cutting the Sacramento lead to 103-100. But the Lakers could get no closer in the games final minute. Hill converted two free throws and Meeks made a fast-break layup, cutting the Kings lead to 96-91 with 4:32 remaining. Cousins responded with a basket, a free throw, then found Outlaw open for a dunk, giving the Kings a 101-93 lead. Leading by eight points at the half, the Kings built an 87-76 lead entering the fourth quarter. Gay, McCallum and Cousins all scored seven points in the third when the Kings outscored Los Angeles 27-24. "Ive known Ray since I was 15 and I know he can play and has great confidence," Lakers guard Kendall Marshall said. "This league is about opportunities and Im happy for him. But I wish it wasnt against us." The Lakers said Gasol suffered a "severe recurrence of vertigo" Wednesday in his Sacramento hotel. The 13-year veteran missed four straight games stemming from his initial bout with vertigo 1 1/2 weeks ago, Gasol played Tuesday night in a loss to Portland, but said he might have rushed his return to the court. NOTES: Former Kings forward Brian Grant was sitting courtside. ... McCallum had 17 points and Gay scored 15 in the first half when Sacramento led 60-52. ... Hill had four of the Lakers six blocks. ... It was the 10th 30-point plus game this season for Gay,who added five rebounds, four assists and two steals. ' ' '