 and we'll fix it.'' At least, Utah made the Pacers earn this one.When it appeared Indiana might run away after closing the first half on a 12-2 spurt and opening the second half with a 3-pointer from Myles Turner to take a 56-43 lead, Bogdanovic and Mitchell helped the Jazz respond. They combined for five of Utah's seven 3s in the third quarter, helping them scramble back within 83-80 with 2:03 to go.But Indiana rebuilt its lead by scoring the final six points of the quarter and finally put the game away with that decisive 18-5 run, which began with 7:45 left to play.''We came ready to play,'' Brogdon said. ''We competed from the first minute to the last. The second group came in and did a great job. We were consistent all the way through.'' TIP-INSJazz: Have lost three straight in the series and back-to-back games for the third time this season. ... Two-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert returned after missing the previous two games with a sprained left ankle and had 14 points and 13 rebounds. ... Joe Ingles scored 12 points and Mike Conley had five points and five assists in his hometown.Pacers: Brogdon missed his first free-throw attempt of the game, ending a streak of 44 consecutive makes that began in the season opener. ... T. J. McConnell scored 12 points off the bench. ... The Pacers are 3-0 at home against Western Conference foes this season, winning each by at least 12.THEY SAID ITJazz: ''We need to be better,'' coach Quin Snyder said. ''I thought they were the more aggressive team and that showed by the way they attacked the basket.'' Pacers: ''We're starting to establish ourselves,'' McMillan said. ''We were playing against a really good group and I thought we were solid, both groups, for 48 minutes. I thought we made them work to score.'' UP NEXTJazz: At Memphis on Friday night.Pacers: Host Atlanta on Saturday night.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Nov 26, 2019Can the Indiana Pacers keep the momentum going when they host the Utah Jazz in Indianapolis on Wednesday?The Pacers enter the contest with a three-game winning streak and have won seven of nine at home. They put on their best offensive performance of the season in a 126-114 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.Indiana got 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting from T. J. Warren -- one of six players to score in double-figures. The Pacers shot better than 61 percent from the floor over the first three quarters. They also hit a season-high 18 3-pointers.Malcolm Brogdon returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with lower back soreness. Brogdon finished with 14 points and eight assists. His presence on the court helped open things up for Warren, who averaged just 12 points on 31-percent shooting in Brogdon's absence."Malcolm gets everybody in their spots," Warren told the Pacers team website. "He's a great point guard. Glad that he's back in the lineup." Even with the uptick on offense, Indiana has sagged a bit on defense over its last two victories. That could be a concerning trend with a hot-shooting Jazz team on the horizon.Each of the Pacers' previous two opponents hit 13 3-pointers and shot better than 40 percent from the perimeter. They also gave up 62 points in the paint to the Grizzlies -- even with Myles Turner registering a season-high five blocked shots."We have to do a better job of keeping the ball in front of us," Indiana coach Nate McMillan said.Utah is hoping to reclaim some momentum after losing 122-118 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. The Jazz could not overcome a dominant performance from reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 50 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to rally the host Bucks in the second half.Antetokounmpo almost singlehandedly negated a strong offensive outing from Utah. The Jazz shot 50.6 percent from the field and made 21 3-pointers against the Bucks. They had a chance to force overtime, but Donovan Mitchell's layup was blocked with 4.4 seconds left."Milwaukee's a terrific team, and Giannis showed why he's the MVP," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told the team website. "But I don't think we made it easy. He just played at that level. I think our guys really responded, and we were in the game up until that last possession." Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic will make his return to Indianapolis for the first time since signing with Utah as a free agent this past summer. Bogdanovic makes his return to Indiana enjoying the same offensive explosion that made him a breakout star in his final season with the Pacers.Bogdanovic averaged 18.0 points while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3-point range last season. He has continued on the same trajectory with the Jazz so far this season. Bogdanovic has averaged 20.9 points on 47.2-percent shooting from the floor through 16 games. He is Utah's top perimeter threat, knocking down 3.2 3-pointers per game and hitting 45.9 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts.--Field Level Media
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