George drops 34 on winless 76ers as Pacers coast 112-85
PHILADELPHIA -- Paul George and the Indiana Pacers didn't take the winless 76ers lightly, and it showed.
George scored 34 points and C.J. Miles added 20 to lead Indiana to a 112-85 rout on Wednesday night.
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T.J. McConnell scored 16 points for Philadelphia, which dropped to 0-12 while setting a season high with 31 turnovers.
The 76ers are within five losses of matching last season's franchise-worst start and are six defeats away from tying the NBA record, set by the 2009 Nets, for longest losing streak to begin a season. Philadelphia opens a six-game road trip on Friday in Charlotte and needs at least one win to avoid tying the Nets.
It was the 76ers' 22nd loss in a row dating to last season, pulling them four from equaling the NBA record for longest losing streaks. The 76ers already share that dubious mark with Cleveland, with Philadelphia's skid from Jan. 31-March 27, 2014, matching the Cavaliers' from Nov. 20, 2010-Feb. 9, 2011.
The Pacers didn't want to be the team to end Philadelphia's streaks.
"Our challenge is not to let them get their first win on us," George said. "This was probably our best game as far as running, creating for others. Our tempo, our flow was where it needed to be."
George, who has scored at least 26 points in eight straight games, finished 13 of 24 from the field and 5 for 10 from 3-point range.
"His work ethic is second to none," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "His focus is great. He's moving really well. Hard work breeds confidence and he's playing at a high level right now."
The Pacers quickly extended their 14-point halftime lead with five quick points to start the second half, on a 3-pointer by George and driving layup by Monta Ellis that made it 57-38. Boos rained down on the 76ers in a lackluster third quarter that featured one bad turnover after another.
"You're not going to win any NBA games with that quantity of turnovers," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "We have a problem and like all the things we'll jump on it and try to get a hell of a lot better than we have been."
Fans generally have been patient with the 76ers' rebuilding effort under general manager Sam Hinkie, but grew frustrated in the second half Wednesday with the on-court performance. Besides the frequent booing in the third quarter, one 76ers fan near courtside yelled, "Where's the process? Who can we trust?"
Fans also sent boos down at the final buzzer.
"I felt like we got outworked, and it's just one of those games that I quickly want to forget," Brown said.
The 76ers turned it over 18 times in the first half alone on their way to a 52-38 halftime deficit. Philadelphia entered averaging a league-worst 18 turnovers and was coming off a season-high 27 turnovers in Monday's 92-86 home loss to Dallas.
"We are 0-12, but the way we lost tonight isn't acceptable," said rookie Jahlil Okafor, who had 14 points.
ONLY FIVE ALLOWED
Among Philadelphia's other miscues in the opening half was committing a technical foul for having too many players on the floor.
BENCHED
Brown benched Nerlens Noel for the fourth quarter. Noel finished with two points and three rebounds in 24 minutes.
TIP-INS
Pacers: Neither G George Hill (illness) nor G Rodney Stuckey (sprained right ankle) was in the lineup. Hill missed his second straight game while Stuckey sat out his fourth in a row. ... Indiana has won seven of eight versus the 76ers. ... George's season high is 36 points against Miami on Nov. 6. ... Indiana had 37 points off turnovers, while Philadelphia scored 10.
76ers: The 76ers honored World Series of Poker champion Joe McKeehen during the game. McKeehen, from suburban Philadelphia, wore a 76ers jersey during the competition. ... Philadelphia entered averaging a league-worst 90.6 points per game.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Host Milwaukee on Saturday night.
76ers: Begin a six-game road trip at Charlotte on Friday night.
