INDIANAPOLIS — David West scored 24 points and Andrew Bynum grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in his Pacers debut, helping suddenly struggling Indiana pull away late for a 94-83 win over Boston on Tuesday night. ADVERTISING INDIANAPOLIS — David West
INDIANAPOLIS — David West scored 24 points and Andrew Bynum grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in his Pacers debut, helping suddenly struggling Indiana pull away late for a 94-83 win over Boston on Tuesday night.
Indiana (47-17) ended its longest losing streak of the season at four. Paul George added 12 points as the Pacers extended their Eastern Conference lead to 1½ games over two-time defending champion Miami in the East.
Boston (22-42) was led by Jared Sullinger with 17 points and Kris Humphries with 15 as its two-game winning streak ended.
Bynum played just 15 minutes but his first basket gave Indiana a 16-14 lead and the Pacers never trailed again.
Boston, which trailed by as much as 15 in the third quarter, twice got within one in the fourth. But the Pacers answered the second time with a 6-0 run to make it 83-76 and the Celtics never threatened again.
Bynum gave Indiana an infusion of energy that it desperately needed on a night George was in foul trouble and Lance Stephenson was off the mark.
Through 2 ½ quarters, Stephenson and George had combined for just four points.
Bynum, on the other hand, finished with eight points and one assist in his first action since late December. And the fans, who had been waiting since Feb. 1 to see No. 17 on the court, gave him a rousing ovation when he entered the game with 4:22 left in the first quarter.
SPURS 104, Bulls 96
CHICAGO — Manu Ginobili scored 22 points and Tony Parker had 20 as the league-leading San Antonio Spurs beat the Chicago Bulls 104-96.
THUNDER 106
ROCKETS 98
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 42 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Houston Rockets.
