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Posté : 16 Déc 2019, 07:19
INDIANAPOLIS -- Eight straight wins isnt enough for the perfect Pacers. They have far bigger plans. The NBAs last unbeaten team remained undaunted Monday night, getting 23 points from Paul George and the first triple double of Lance Stephensons career to run past Memphis 95-79 and complete a brutal five-game in seven-day stretch with a sweep. Indiana extended its franchise-best start to 8-0, becoming the seventh team to achieve the feat since 2000. "Everything were shooting for is attainable, but weve got a long way to go, a lot of work to do," coach Frank Vogel said. "It was probably our most complete game." The Pacers made no secret of this seasons plan -- dethroning two-time defending NBA champion Miami. The best way to do that, they figured, was earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and so far, nobody has been able to touch Indiana. The Pacers already have a 3 1/2-game lead over Miami and Atlanta in the East. Indiana is showing no sign of slowing down, either. Rather than look fatigued after back-to-back wins last Tuesday and Wednesday and two more back-to-back wins Friday and Saturday, something Vogel said he had never been part of previously, the Pacers appeared to get stronger Monday. They again dominated the glass, outrebounding Memphis 30-15 in the first half and finishing with a 45-32 advantage. They again relied on suffocating defence, which held Memphis (3-4) to a season-low point total and nearly 20 points below its season scoring average (98.5). And again they were content to share the honours. George scored seven of his game-high points total during a key 9-3 stretch to close out the third quarter. That gave Indiana a 72-55 lead. Stephenson, who is playing the best basketball of his career, finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, a career-high 12 assists and only one turnover. Roy Hibbert added five more blocks to his league-leading total (35), George Hill finished with 13 points in his third game back from a hip injury and Luis Scola added 12 points off the bench. Indiana could be making things even tougher for opponents soon, too. Vogel said before the game that former All-Star Danny Granger, who once led the Pacers in scoring for five straight seasons, will begin working out Tuesday and could return to practice as soon as Wednesday. Vogel did not say when Granger would return to the rotation. Granger has not played this season because of a strained left calf. For now, though, fans seem content with the way things are going. During the final minutes, they even serenaded Pacers players with chants of "un-de-feat-ed." But the Pacers arent content with that. "We are not looking at this 8-0 start," said George, the NBAs Most Improved Player last season. "We want to enjoy it, but we must let our strengths continue to lead us to victory. Everybody helps, everybody is doing their job." For Memphis, it was a rough night. Marc Gasol , who showed his frustration at times during the second half, finished with 15 points and six rebounds. The only other Memphis players to reach double-figures were two guys with Hoosier State ties -- Zach Randolph had 12 and Mike Conley added 11. The Grizzlies shot just 41.3 per cent from the field and were only 6 of 19 from 3-point range, and after a 15-3 run put Memphis in an 80-55 deficit just 83 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies never had a chance. "Theyre the best defensive team in this league, they really compress the paint, it was hard for any of us guards to get in there and make anything happen," Conley said. "Theyve got a lot of length, theyve got great guards that play great D and they made us take contested shots." Indiana didnt leave anything in doubt Monday. The Pacers jumped to a 13-8 lead in the opening minutes, scored the final six points of the first quarter to make it 23-16 and then methodically pulled away in the second. Though Memphis closed to 46-39 at halftime, the Pacers opened the second half on a 7-2 run to rebuild a 12-point lead and put it away with the spurt spurred by George and Stephenson that eventually made it 80-55. "Everybodys on the same page, everybodys playing together and everybodys playing smart," Stephenson said. "When we play like that, no one can stop us." Indiana now gets a three-day break before playing another back-to-back -- hosting Milwaukee on Friday and visiting Chicago on Saturday. Notes: Indiana led at halftime for only the second time this season. ... Memphis continued its trend, winning all of its even-numbered games and losing all of its odd-numbered games. ... The Pacers have won the last three in this series and are now 14-3 all-time against the Grizzlies in Indy. ... Grizzlies forward Quincy Poindexter left the game in the second quarter with a fractured nose and did not return. Cheap Hornets Jerseys . Kansas City became the first team in baseball history to win four extra-inning games in a single postseason on Friday, as Alex Gordon crushed a leadoff homer in the 10th and Mike Moustakas added the deciding two-run blast in the Royals 8-6 win. Hornets Jerseys 2020 .75 million contract for the 2014 season and avoided arbitration. The team announced the agreement on Tuesday. https://www.cheaphornets.com/735l-devonte-graham-jersey-hornets.html . The commissioners office said Friday that Sears tested positive for metabolites of Methandienone. Sears will be 23 in March. He signed with the Braves in June 2013 out of Arizona Christian, an NAIA school, and is on the roster of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves. David Wesley Jersey . The International Ice Hockey Federation says Pavlovs avoided a two-year sanction because he acted "without significant negligence in failing to verify the safety of the supplements he was taking. Kemba Walker Jersey .C. Lions 35-14, was named the CFLs offensive player of the week Tuesday. Sheets recorded his ninth 100-yard rushing performance of the season to tie the Riders club record.ARLINGTON, Texas – By the time the Blue Jays leave town after Sundays game, the Rangers will have seen enough of Anthony Gose. His speed has created runs for Toronto and prevented runs for Texas in this series. "Hes really good," said outfield coach Tim Leiper. "He just covers a lot of ground. Hes into the game. You watch him, too, hes hungry. Hes come up here with something to prove." In Friday nights 2-0 win, the Blue Jays were stifled by Rangers ace Yu Darvish for seven innings. In the eighth, Erik Kratz surprised third baseman Adrian Beltre by laying down a leadoff bunt single. Gose followed with a drag bunt down the first base line, beating out a bang-bang play at the bag. One out later, Gose scored from first on a Melky Cabrera double, tearing around the bases. In Saturday nights 4-2 win, with the game tied 1-1 in the seventh, Gose led off with an opposite field double. He stole third and with one out, scored on a Cabrera chopper to Beltre. Gose was going the moment he saw Cabreras ball wasnt hit hard and Beltre, one of the games best defensive third baseman, didnt attempt a play at the plate. Mark Buehrle was the beneficiary of the run on Saturday but when asked about Goses offence, he quickly changed the subject. "I dont even want to talk about the scoring runs, I want to talk about the defence," said Buehrle. "Hes been out there the last couple of days, balls have been hit and this isnt a knock against Colby (Rasmus) because hes pretty fast but there were some balls hit in the gap and youre like, Damn, thats a double and then all of sudden, here comes Gose catching the ball." Gose has made two standout catches this series, both on Friday night. He robbed Mitch Moreland of extra bases in the left-centerfield gap, crashing into the wall on the run as he hauled in the ball. He went into right-centerfield to take away at least a double, likely a triple, from speedster Leonys Martin. "He made those look somewhat easy but off the bat, you dont think theyre going to get caught," said Leiper. Goses speed is one reason hes an elite defender. "Theres plenty of guys with speed and obviously hes got above average speed for anybody," said Leiper. "It comes down to he gets the jumps. For guys who are slower and they definitely need the foootwork to make up for their lack of speed, hes got both.ddddddddddddquot; Theres another reason, one his coach appreciates just as much: Gose has impressed Leiper with his interest in pre-game preparation. Its not always noticeable, unseen on TV and likely not a fans focus while watching a game live, but Leiper notices the results pitch by pitch. "Its subtle but, for me, Im so one-dimensional now, Im just focused on what hes doing and how hes moving and where these guys are," said Leiper. "To watch him take charge with the other two outfielders, too, its impressive to watch. Hes got a good feel for the position." Pillar is Goses Platoon Partner Right-handed hitting Kevin Pillar will start in centrefield against left-handed pitchers during Colby Rasmus absence with a hamstring injury. Anthony Gose, a left-handed bat, will start against right-handers. Pillars first big league experience, late last season, was a struggle. He feels better now, knowing his role is defined. "I definitely think, knowing what your role is, whether its platooning or playing everyday, but having some sort of conversation with the manager, and knowing what your role is going to be is comforting," said Pillar. Pillar picked up his first two big league hits of 2014 in Saturday nights victory. Hes 2-for-11 during his brief stint with Toronto. He was off to a great start at Triple-A Buffalo, hitting .305/.344/.461, which included an 18-game hitting streak. The book on Pillar is off-speed, typically breaking sliders, down and away. Hell continue to be pitched that way, especially with two strikes, until he shows he can lay off. "I think its more mental than anything," said Pillar. "Mechanically, its trying to simplify a little bit, letting the ball travel a little deeper before I make a decision to swing. My second at-bat last night, I fouled off a lot of pitches, letting the ball get deep and thats a testament to staying with my approach, letting the ball get a little deeper, allowing myself to see the pitch before I swing. I think last year, part of it was trying to do too much, trying to get hits, not really seeing the ball out of the hand and this year I promised myself I wouldnt try to get hits, I would try to get good pitches to hit, and thats allowed me to lay off pitches down and away." ' ' '