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Times wires

 
Published Dec. 13, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George made a winning return to Indiana, hitting the clinching free throws with 10.7 seconds left in the Thunder's 100-95 victory over the Pacers on Wednesday.

Steven Adams had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Russell Westbrook finished with 10 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in his ninth triple double this season. The Thunder has won two straight on the road. And after going 4-9 in November, OKC has won five of its first seven this month.

Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 19 points. They had a chance to tie after getting the ball with 15.2 seconds left but committed a turnover, then fouled George.

The Pacers' winning streak ended at four. But the much anticipated matchup between George and Oladipo, the key parts in the summer's blockbuster trade, didn't go as expected.

George was booed loudly during introductions and every time he touched the ball. And, according to ESPN, the Pacers aired a video in the arena that featured their star players over the years, but George was not included. Fans only cheered for George when he was called for a foul or made a mistake, which seemed to take a toll on the four-time All-Star. He finished 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting, had two rebounds and four turnovers.

Oladipo, the reigning Eastern Conference player of the week, didn't have a typical night either. He shot 9-of-26 and had five rebounds and six assists.

The Thunder used an 11-2 run to pull out to a 73-69 lead going into the fourth and extended it to 92-81 with 5:16 to go but only scored six points the rest of the way.

Game Highlights: Lou Williams scored 31, DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 20 rebounds and the Clippers opened a four-game road trip with a 106-95 victory over the Magic. Los Angeles shot 54 percent in the second half to win its third straight in a matchup of injury-riddled teams. Jonathon Simmons scored 20 for the Magic, which has lost 14 of 17. With Aaron Gordon (concussion) and Arron Afflalo (back spasms) out, Orlando's active roster included four players from the G League's Lakeland Magic. One was rookie Wes Iwundu, who made his first NBA start. … Kyrie Irving had 33 points and the host Celtics held on for a 124-118 victory over the Nuggets. Irving added seven assists. It was his eighth game this season with 30 or more points. The 124 points was a season-high for Boston, which shot a season-high 60 percent from the field.