Angeln Allgemein » down the stretch

INDIANAPOLIS -- As one of the NBAs elite teams, the Indiana Pacers have a target on their backs. The Phoenix Suns came out firing in the first half and held the Pacers off in the second to hand Indiana just its second home loss of the season. "This year theyre not the underdogs anymore," Suns forward Channing Frye said. "Teams come out and give it their best shot. For them to expect us to come in and lay down, for any team to lay down, its not going to happen." Goran Dragic had 28 points and seven assists to lead Phoenix to the 102-94 win over the Pacers on Thursday night. Gerald Green and Marcus Morris scored 16 points apiece to help the Suns win their fourth straight game. Markieff Morris, who finished with 15 points, hit a 3-pointer with 2:58 remaining to give the Suns a 98-92 lead and Dragic dunked to give the Suns a 100-94 lead with 44 seconds left to put the game out of reach. The Suns (28-18) seemed to have the game put away by halftime. Dragic scored 21 of the Suns 66 points in the first half -- the most given up by the Pacers (35-10) in a half this season since the Suns scored 62 on Indiana a week ago in a 124-100 win. "We are at our best when we start the game well," Dragic said. "We played an up-tempo game, so I think they were a little bit tired." The Pacers rallied after trailing 66-49 at the break, but never retook the lead. Roy Hibbert had 26 points and David West added 18 for the Pacers, who have lost three of five games. Indiana went on an 8-2 run early in the second half with shots by David West, Paul George, Lance Stephenson and George Hill to get within 70-53. Later, George was fouled on a layup and converted the 3-point play to make it 71-61 with 7:01 left in the third. Miles Plumlee missed a dunk and Hibbert scored on a putback to get Indiana within eight. Frye answered with a basket and then Hibbert scored Indianas next six points to get the Pacers within 73-69. "We came out, got ourselves back in it in the second half with defence, but couldnt get up over the hump," Hibbert said. "They outplayed us." The Pacers got within a point when Hill hit two free throws to make it 91-90 with 4:20 remaining, but Green extended the lead with two free throws. Hill made a layup before Green hit a jumper to put the Suns ahead 95-92 and Markieff Morris 3-pointer to give the Suns a five-point lead. "In the end, that third quarter cost us a little bit," Dragic said. "They came really strong. They made some open shots and that made it a little bit of a different game." It was much different from the way Phoenix played in the first half. They took a lead right away in the first quarter. They went on a 9-0 run early in the game when Dragic tied the game on a layup and later hit a jumper to give the Suns a 6-8 lead. Then Green hit a 3-pointer and another basket to make it 13-6 with 6:24 left in the first quarter. The Suns went on a 15-2 run to close out the first quarter with a 36-19 lead. Stephenson, who left the game in the first quarter after getting hit in the right eye, scored 12 second-quarter points. West added 10, but the Pacers were never able to put together a run or cut into the deficit. Even when George hit a jumper falling out of bounds that went over the corner of the backboard and through the hoop, it didnt matter. Dragic hit a 3-pointer to take back the lead and to give the Suns a 62-45 lead. NOTES: In four halves against the Pacers this season, the Suns have scored 62 points or more in three of them. . Stephenson recorded his fourth triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. . Hibbert and George become the first Pacers teammates to earn All-Star honours in the same season since Jermaine ONeal and Ron Artest in 2004. Discount Jerseys Online . Correia pitched six innings of one-run ball, Eduardo Escobar homered, and the Minnesota Twins pulled away late to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 on Saturday. Discount Jerseys For Sale . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. https://www.discountjerseysonline.com/. The last team in the NBA that will have any sympathy for the Thunder is the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are showing signs of putting everything together after two years of devastating injuries. Discount Jerseys Team . Fabio Fognini pulled off a surprise 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray to level the best-of-five quarterfinal at 2-2 before Andreas Seppi defeated James Ward 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the decisive match. Discount Jerseys League . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Stanley Johnson dropped a personal-best 22 points and No. 10 Arizona took care of business at McKale Center, beating Colorado 68-54 on Thursday. Johnson, who was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list on Wednesday, also contributed eight rebounds while shooting 8-for-9 from the foul line. Kaleb Tarczewski added 14 points and Elliott Pitts made four of his six 3- point attempts for 12 off the bench. Brandon Ashley had a game-high 11 rebounds and T.J. McConnell gave eight points, seven rebounds and six assists for Arizona (15-2, 3-1 Pac-12), which has won 31 straight home games. Askia Booker was tremendous in defeat, pouring in a career-high 30 points for Colorado (9-7, 2-2), which was without its second and third leading scorers. Center Josh Scott (back spasms) and forward Xavier Johnson (sprained ankle) were both inactive. No other Buffaloes scored in double figures. After a sluggish start, Arizonas offense came alive.dddddddddddd Tarczewski was the only Wildcat to score over the first 6 1/2 minutes before a Pitts 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 run. The hosts might have blown the game open had it not been for Booker. The senior scored 18 points over the first 20 minutes. His triple just before halftime pulled Colorado back within 10 points, 35-25, and ended a string of 12 straight points by the Wildcats. Booker hit again from deep early in the second, and Dustin Thomas went behind the back to Jaron Hopkins in transition for a dunk to make it a five-point game. Arizona scored seven in a row from there to regain control. The Wildcats led by as many as 17 points down the stretch. Game Notes Arizona guard Gabe York missed the game with a sprained ankle ... Booker shot 11-for-17 from the field and 6-of-9 from behind the arc ... Colorado is 0-5 on the road this season. ' ' '