Lance Stephenson slumped his shoulders and dragged

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Lance Stephenson slumped his shoulders and dragged his feet to the bench with three minutes left in the game. Nike Roshe Run Femme . Three points shy of a triple-double, Stephenson heard the crowd boo his removal and chant moments later for his return. Things are going so well for the Indiana Pacers that they can contemplate personal milestones and finally turn their attention to a difficult road trip awaiting them in early December. "I knew we would be a good team," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "They are driven and hungry. Were off to a good start." Paul George scored 23 points and Roy Hibbert added 13 and eight rebounds to easily lead surging Indiana past injury hampered Washington 93-73 on Friday night. The Pacers won their sixth straight and extended their best start in franchise history to 15-1. The Wizards (7-9) snapped a three-game winning streak and lost their 11th straight game in Indianapolis. They committed 18 turnovers, shot 40 per cent from the field and went 6-of-18 from 3-point range. Star point guard John Wall struggled badly, rarely attacked the rim and finished with eight points on 4-of-14 shooting. Marcin Gortat led Washington with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Trevor Ariza scored 14. The Pacers shut out a transition attack that came in ranked second in the NBA. After averaging 18.6 points a game on the fast break, Washington had none against the defensive-minded Pacers. "When we did get in the open court we turned the ball over," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "They got back and jammed the lane. That was the opposite of how we wanted to play." Washington had won five of six before injuries finally caught up. The team announced shortly before the game that starting power forward Nene would sit due to a sore right Achilles tendon. Also missing were starting shooting guard Bradley Beal and prized rookie Otto Porter, the No. 3 pick in the draft. "That took a little bit out of us," Wittman said. "Down seven (43-36) at half, It might have been one of our worst halves. I could tell they just didnt have the vibe. We were drained." As usual, the Pacers stifled spirits and took control in the third quarter. They entered the day outscoring opponents by an average of 6.7 points in the third and followed that script once more by outscoring Washington 26-20 to carry a 69-56 lead to the fourth. The gap only widened from there. "We just come out focused," George said. "We really are dialed in. We are working on that dead spot in the second quarter. Hopefully we can shore that up on our road trip." Stephenson departed with seven points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He made multiple flashy passes that drew oohs and aahs before Vogel replaced him with Orlando Johnson. On Wednesday in Charlotte, Stephenson had 15 points and 10 rebounds. He had the first two triple-doubles of his career earlier this month. Vogel knew bigger things are ahead. "I love to see guys get triple-doubles. But you cant make moves that compromise the next game," Vogel said. The Pacers begin a five-game road trip against the Western Conference on Sunday at the Los Angeles Clippers. Four of the five opponents are above .500 and the slate ends with games against Oklahoma City and reigning conference champ San Antonio. Vogel had hushed talk of the trip to help the team focus. Now, Indiana is ready to test its league-best record against other top teams. "We must continue to play our game on the road trip," forward David West said. "This will really tell us something and give us an idea of what we are made of. Theyre all good teams. Well have to play at our highest level." The Wizards, who trailed 28-14 after the opening quarter, made their only push in the second with George and Hibbert on the bench. They scored on 10 of their first 15 possessions and got as close as 38-34 when Trevor Booker hustled for an offensive rebound and made a layup. But Indiana allowed just two points over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the half to end the run. Hibbert scored 10 points in the third on 4-of-5 shooting after an 0-of-5 first half. Indiana shot 11-of-20 as a team in the third. NOTES: Pacers forward Danny Granger has yet to play this season due to lingering effects of a strained right calf. . The Wizards, 3-0 on the second night of a back-to-back, host Atlanta on Saturday night. . The Pacers went 3-1 against Washington last season. All the victories came when Wall was hurt. . Nene missed two previous games with a left calf strain. Washington lost both. . Boxer Floyd Mayweather attended the game. Nike Roshe Run Pas Cher . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Nike Roshe Run Femme Soldes . Jayson Werth and Denard Span had three hits each for Washington, which had lost 6 of 7. Previously slumping, Washingtons offence has 14 runs and 30 hits in its last two games. Strasburg (4-4) allowed two unearned runs, though his error led to them, and six hits.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hey Kerry, Whats the standard for officiating on hits and shoves after the whistle? Andrei Markov laid a late hit on Ondrej Palat after the whistle in last nights Habs-Lightning game, while Radko Gudas was giving extra pushes and shoves after play was stopped as well! How much is too much? Carrie ---- Hi Kerry, I appreciate your candor in your columns. With the playoffs upon us I am going to put you on the spot. Does the league mandate that officials loosen the reins on the rules come playoffs? I have played, coached and been a fan of the game for many years and it would appear there is a different standard (I use Brad Marchand repeatedly punching one of the Sedins after a whistle with no call in the 2011 Stanley Cup final as Exhibit A). As a fan I hate the relaxed standard that is apparent in the playoffs. Andy,Toronto Hi Carrie and Andy: And so the games begin! We all know that game intensity is quickly ramped up in the playoffs. At ice level, a referee must be able to feel the energy that players exude from the opening puck drop and allow the game to unfold. Each game has a unique heartbeat and the officials need to constantly take the pulse into account and determine when it is appropriate to impose themselves. Im not talking about when to call a trip or other obvious infraction but more specifically how to regulate the temperature of a game. The refs need to tap into and differentiate between the positive energy (which they must allow to flourish) and any excessive negative energy (which they must take measures to control). Quite often there is a fine line between the two once we enter the high stakes of playoff competition. One incident can spike the game temp, such as the deliberate snow shower that Ryan Garbutt buried Ducks goalie Frederik Anderson with, or the late body check from Andrei Markov on Ondrej Palat. On the first play, the referee took immediate control by assessing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to Garbutt, thereby sending a clear message that any "cheap" liberties on the goalkeeper would not be tolerated. I asked Marty Biron, whom I sat beside in the TSN studio last night, if a snow shower throws a goalie off his game. Marty said it actually does the opposite and will motivate the goalie to remain focused and play harder. Adding insult to injury, Matt Beleskey scored the fourth Ducks goal with Garbutt in the box. That became a costly penalty once Dallas closed the gap and Anaheim hung on for the 4-3 win. There was less need for the refs to exert control on the late Markov check. It was a clean shoulder check (other than after the whistle), it was in open ice as opposed to into the boards (in which case I am quite sure a penalty would have resulted) and even though it resulted in a scrum, the benefit of the doubt could be offered that Markov was in the act of finishing a check and the whistle was a little late. Nike Air Max 2015 Homme Pas Cher. If after this "freebee" extended by the refs there was another episode of a testosterone rush someone should pay the price of a penalty call. Andy, there is no specific direction or league mandate given to the officials to loosen the reins on the rules. They are instructed to utilize their "best judgment" to ensure that marginal penalties are avoided at all times. This suggestion can plant a seed in the mind of the officials that isnt always positive. As the game moves closer to the end the refs feel an internal pressure to make sure that if they do raise their arm it will be judged as a "solid" penalty call. They want desperately to keep the spotlight off themselves. That thought process, when taken to excess, can negatively alter the standard that had been set throughout the game. Candidly speaking, a referee might avoid calling a foul that occurs 100 plus feet from the net since it doesnt involve a direct scoring opportunity. At that point he gambles and hopes that continued game flow gets him out of a self-perceived controversy. You and I know this is not the right approach, nor is it in the best interest of the game. Those in charge of rating the officials performance have a hand in this process as well. We have seen situations where a ref has stepped up and made a gutsy (and correct) call that impacts a game only to find himself dropped from further playoff assignments due to the nuclear fallout. Brad Marchand rag dolling Daniel Sedin in the 2011 Cup Final is just one example we could cite with regard to ref avoidance issues. Players will take full advantage when they feel the referee has put his whistle away. On the flip side, I recall Jerome Iginla chasing me around the ice after I whistled Andrew Ference for blasting Martin St. Louis into the end boards with less than two minutes remaining in Game 7 of the 2004 Cup Final with the Lightning leading by a score of 2-1. It was an obvious penalty but the score, time and emotion altered Iginlas perception and acceptance of the call. Then came the first lockout season and the "New NHL" spawned an attitude that penalties would be called regardless of the score and time. The standard has eroded somewhat from that strong initiative and needs to be restored before we move much farther through this playoff season. As I mentioned in a previous column, the referees need to demonstrate sound judgment and courage to make the perceived "tough" call. When the refs do make them they must be supported by the Officiating Department managers. That is the seed that needs to grow. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '