Candace Buckner

IndyStar

Paul George broke out of a slump Thursday night, but the Indiana Pacers stayed stuck in the mud far too long.

The Pacers spent much of the time during their 120-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in hot pursuit. It started early as they had to climb out of a double-digit deficit in the first quarter. And it continued to the closing minute of the game in which they accelerated the defensive intensity and made timely 3-pointers to pull within one big shot of tying the Bucks. However for the third straight game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Pacers had to work back from a first-quarter lead. This time, the Bucks' early 13-point advantage would bury the Pacers (18-14) in spite of an active and scrambling effort late in the game.

"We've just got to be accountable for the way we’re starting these games out," George said. "It seems like we’re repeating. You guys (reporters) come in here and ask us the same questions and we’ve got the same answers. Something’s got to change."

George scored a team-best 31 points, finally finding his shot after struggling over the past 12 games. George finished 8-of-13 overall and 5-of-9 from 3-point range, and every starter finished in double figures. But on a night when the Pacers committed 20 turnovers – Monta Ellis had eight against only five made field goals – they started New Year’s Eve with regrets. Maybe blame Chicago for that.

On Wednesday night, the Pacers dropped an emotionally-charged game in overtime to the Bulls. Indiana had a chance to tie the score in the final 1.2 seconds with a layup attempt by George, but Jimmy Butler made contact on a play that should have been called as a foul, the NBA acknowledged a day later. During the game, Indiana lost Ian Mahinmi (sprained left knee), so besides the quick turnaround the Pacers had to remix the rotation in the absence of their starting center as well as backup Jordan Hill (dental work). Lavoy Allen stepped into the starting lineup and scored a season-high 14 points, making 7-of-8 shots, but plugging him into the normal spread lineup caused problems with rhythm.

"The (center) role in the spread offense is a unique role," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "Lavoy did a good job ... but we were just a little out of sync with him."

For entertainment after the first quarter, four adorable infants were placed on the court for the Baby Race. First one to stop drooling and crawl to the halfcourt line would win their parents $250 to be used inside the Pacers’ gift shop. The only problem? None of the babies budged. Not even a little. But the motionless race was appropriate considering that it followed a lifeless showing from the Pacers.

The Bucks pushed the pace after nearly every defensive stop, forcing the Pacers into an uncomfortable race. On the other end, the Pacers lacked cohesiveness and committed eight turnovers – their same total of made field goals.

"We can't use playing last night as an excuse," George Hill said. "We have to protect our home court at all times."

After trailing 59-52 at halftime, the Pacers showed signs of consistency as well as better shooting. Exercising the spread lineup, Hill, C.J. Miles and George knocked down 3-pointers within the opening 3 minutes of the third quarter. At the 8:53 mark, George drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the game and gave the Pacers their first lead, 63-61, until the Bucks responded with an 18-4 run.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Pacers made some progress by changing their look to go with two bigs. But when Vogel inserted Solomon Hill as the center to create an uber-small spread lineup, the Pacers made things happen.

"Solomon brought that aggression," George said. "We forced them to make some turnovers and he forced some turnovers. We’re a different team when he comes in and he plays for us."

The Pacers trapped to create turnovers, looked for opportunities early in the shot clock and when George and Miles drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, Indiana had cut the lead to 115-112. They would have two chances within the final minute to tie the score, but Hill and Ellis each missed attempts from the corner and the Bucks barely closed out the victory.

“Had we been locked in and dialed in to start the game out, those shots wouldn’t have fell late in the game for them," George said. "It’s something we’ve got to get better at. We can’t keep digging ourselves in holes and expect to have enough to finish games out when we’re down 10-15 points. That’s on all of us. We’ve got to get better with that."

Follow Star reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.