Pacers 118, Trail Blazers 113 (OT)

INDIANAPOLIS — Point guard George Hill scored a career-high 37 points, including a tying 3-pointer late in regulation, and the Indiana Pacers surged to a 118-113 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Forward David West scored 23 of his season-high 30 points after halftime for Indiana (39-10), which trailed by 12 in the first half but improved to 13-1 in its last 14 home games. All-Star forward Paul George had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Portland (35-15) received 38 points and 11 assists from point guard Damian Lillard, while center Robin Lopez had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and guard Wesley Matthews scored 19.

Portland scored just four points on its first seven trips of overtime and fell behind 101-107 when Aldridge mistakenly threw a pass right to West, who was able to turn and dunk.

After Lillard’s 3 pulled Portland to 113-110 with just under a minute left in the extra session, George made a step-back jumper over Aldridge to stretch Indiana’s lead to five with 17.8 seconds left. That shot proved the dagger in a back-and-forth contest.

With Colts coach Chuck Pagano and wide receiver Reggie Wayne part of Indiana’s 16th sellout, there was a playoff vibe inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Pacers scored on 11 straight possessions down the stretch of regulation, capped by George’s 3-pointer that gave them a 100-99 lead with 1:30 left. But Matthews responded with a jumper, the Pacers turned it over and forward Nicolas Batum made a pair of free throws to give Portland a 103-100 lead.

After a loose-ball scramble, center Roy Hibbert pitched to Hill, who drained a 3 from the left wing to tie it. Batum missed a difficult fallaway at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

On three occasions early in the fourth quarter Indiana got within one possession only to have the Blazers regroup and hit key baskets to re-open the lead they owned much of the night. Forward Rasual Butler nailed a corner 3-pointer before free throws by Luis Scola and George drew the Pacers to 78-77.

Aldridge responded with two free throws and a jumper, Matthews made a corner 3 and Lillard’s change-of-pace drive extended the Blazers’ lead to 87-79 with 6:57 remaining. That forced Indiana coach Frank Vogel to use a timeout.

That preceded a 24-16 run to close regulation for the Pacers, who lost to Portland 106-102 on the road on Dec. 2.

The Pacers led 60-59, their first lead of the game, on a three-point play by West. But the Blazers outscored them 18-11, with Lillard and guard C.J. McCollum each scoring six, to nab a 77-71 lead heading into the fourth.

Lillard sat down for a breather late in the first, when the Blazers pushed ahead 28-16. When other starters returned midway through the second, Lillard scored 14 of the Blazers’ final 20 points, extending their lead to 50-45 at halftime.

Forward Dorell Wright, guard Earl Watson, center Joel Freeland and forward Thomas Robinson started the second quarter for the Blazers along with Lillard. The bench’s lack of firepower hurt as the Pacers scored 11 of the first 13 points to take their first lead since early in the game.

The Blazers raced to a 6-0 lead to open the game before Hill sparked the Pacers offense with a pair of aggressive drives. Aldridge scored 11 of his 15 first-half points in the opening quarter, when he used his quickness against Indiana’s big men.

NOTES: Pacers coach Frank Vogel said backup C Andrew Bynum, who has not played since Dec. 26 when he was still with Cleveland, will be evaluated a week or two after the All-Star break. … Pacers G Lance Stephenson (lower back) sat out, marking just the fifth time a member of Indiana’s starting lineup missed a game this season. … Portland G Mo Williams left the team to be with his sister, who was hospitalized earlier this week. Coach Terry Stotts was unsure how long Williams might be away. … The Trail Blazers conclude their four-game road trip on Saturday in Minnesota.