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George's 36 points help silence boos as Clippers hold off Pacers

Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport / Getty

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Paul George scored 36 points in his first trip to Indianapolis with the Clippers and Montrezl Harrell added 26 on Monday to power the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers past the Indiana Pacers, 110-99.

Booed repeatedly early in the game, George finished with a season-high seven 3-pointers as the Clippers won for the fourth time in five games.

Malcolm Brogdon led Indiana with 20 points despite playing with a splint on his sore shooting hand. Domantas Sabonis added 18 points and a career-high 22 rebounds as the Pacers lost their third home game of the season.

With Kawhi Leonard sitting out, George had the green light to take charge against his former team and he didn't disappoint.

After making three free throws late in the second quarter, he knocked down back-to-back 3s on the next two possessions to give the Clippers a 55-46 lead. Harrell and Ivica Zubac continued the flurry by making four straight free throws before Zubac capped the 14-4 run with a tip-in that made it 60-48 at the half.

George was just warming up.

His fifth 3 extended the lead to 18 early in the third quarter and when Indiana cut the deficit to 13, George knocked down two more 3s and accounted for all of the Clippers' points in an 8-0 run. When it ended, with 2:58 left in the third, the Clippers led 84-65.

Indiana made one last charge, getting within 106-99 on T.J. Warren's 13-footer with 1:46 left, but Maurice Harkless answered with a layup and the Pacers didn't score another point.

TIP-INS

Clippers: After scoring 21 points in the first half, George finished with nine rebounds and five assists. ... Harrell had eight rebounds while Zubac finished with 13 points. ... Patrick Beverley had 11 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. ... Los Angeles outscored Indiana 56-36 in the paint and was 10 of 32 on 3s. ... The Clippers won at Indiana for the first time since January 2016.

Pacers: Doug McDermott had 17 points and made five 3s, matching his highest total since joining Indiana last season. ... Jeremy Lamb and T.J. Warren each scored 12. ... Indiana had won eight of its previous 11. ... The Pacers shot just 35.4% from the field and were 10 of 35 on 3s.

INJURY REPORT

Leonard sat out on the second night of a back-to-back with a sore left knee. The three-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP has missed seven games this season.

The Clippers also played without JaMychal Green (bruised tailbone), Rodney McGruder (strained right hamstring) and Landry Shamet (sprained left ankle).

''I don't have a lot of guys left,'' coach Doc Rivers said before the game.

BOO-BIRDS

George received a chilly reception in his third game back in Indiana since he was traded.

He received mostly boos during pregame introductions and was booed repeatedly throughout the game when he touched the ball.

But as the game got out of hand, the boo-birds went away.

George is 2-1 at Indiana while suiting up for Oklahoma City and now the Clippers.

UP NEXT

Clippers: Will visit defending league champion Toronto on Wednesday, their third stop on a six-game road trip.

Pacers: Host Boston on Wednesday, the first meeting between the teams since the Celtics swept Indiana in the first round of the playoffs.

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