Paul George stood out in his much-anticipated return to Indiana, scoring 13 points in under 15 minutes of playing time as the Pacers routed the Miami Heat 112-89.
The playoff hungry Pacers welcomed back with open arms George who missed the first 76 games of the season after breaking his right leg in August in a gruesome accident while playing for the US national team.
"Welcoming me back into the game was probably the greatest moment that I've had. It was so hard to not get caught up in the moment," said George, whose arrival comes just in time for the playoff stretch run.
George was initially not expected back this NBA season. The all-star forward sped up his recovery in time to rejoin an Indiana club that is sitting one game behind Boston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"Right now he's working himself in, trying to get his confidence. His vision is to be as good as he can be next year, but he looked pretty good tonight," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said.
Luis Scola finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, Solomon Hill chipped in with 19 points and C.J. Miles added 17 in the win.
Wade's 27 points were not enough for the slumping Heat to snap a three-game losing streak.
Source: AFP