Emotions fly as Pacers beat the Warriors

INDIANAPOLIS – The lead might have been ten points, but Roy Hibbert wasn’t about to be pushed around by anyone.

The center took exception to a shove from David Lee underneath the basket in the fourth quarter and returned the favor, starting a scuffle that ended up being the most visible part of yet another Pacers victory.

Frank Vogel’s squad topped Golden State 108-97 for their fifth consecutive victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and kept their hold on second place in the Eastern Conference.

David West led the way with 28 points for the Pacers while George Hill added 23 and Paul George 21. Their efforts were need to overcome Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry who scored a game-high 38 points with seven three-pointers.

Indiana outscored Golden State 31-20 to pull into the lead for good but it was the fourth quarter when things turned a little crazy.

With 6:10 to go, West put up a shot that was off the mark and Lee tried to get Hibbert out-of-the-way with a two-arm shoved. The Pacers’ center responded with a shove of his own and the pair traded a few shoulder bumps.

Both men attempted to be restrained but then shoving broke out amongst those on the court and nearly spilled into the stands. Eventually order was restored before things got out of hand but Hibbert was ejected for his role in the shoving match.