The last eight meetings between the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers have been won by the home team, which unfortunately ended this Friday at Oracle Arena. But in a game that boasted the most lead changes of any in the NBA this year, it came down to the wire once again as a missed call at the end of the game swayed the tide in Indiana's way, leading to their 94-91 victory.
The Warriors (5-10) found themselves down five with about four minutes left, with a number of fourth quarter turnovers giving the Pacers (10-4) some easy offensive possessions to take the lead. Steph Curry was money down the stretch, scoring seven straight for the W's including a timely three with 3:07 to cut the score to two.
The Pacers held that lead until a Monta Ellis hit runner in the lane with 45 seconds to go to tie it up, forcing an Indiana timeout. Dominic McQuire pulled down a big rebound the next time down, leading to another Monta last second shot scenario.
Then the nightmare happened.
George Hill picked Monta's pocket as he was running the clock down, leading to and and-one on the other end with 1.8 seconds left, and another heartbreaking loss for the W's. Replay would later show Hill kicked the ball when Monta attempted a crossover, which was missed by the referees. Nevertheless, the Warriors still lost the game.
Monta Ellis led the way with 25 on 11-20 shooting and six assists, while Dorell Wright added a solid 18 on 4-7 from downtown. Steph Curry went 5-15 from the floor in his return, finishing with 12 points, while David Lee really struggled shooting 4-15 for 10 points, but added 14 rebounds. The W's also committed 18 turnovers as a team, compared to the 11 on the Pacers.
Danny Granger continued his great play against the Warriors, leading the game with with 26 points, David West added 18, while Roy Hibbard dropped 10 and 16 rebounds.
The good news was Steph Curry didn't hurt himself.
W's now prepare to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at Oracle Arena, with tipoff set for 7:30 pm PT.
For more on the W's, head over to Golden State of Mind.