ockies. It was the first homer of the season for Ruf, who

INDIANAPOLIS -- When the Indiana Pacers needed a lift. Paul George stepped up. All over the court, over and over again. George had 27 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the Pacers used a big second-half run to rally for a 101-85 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. George Hill scored each of his 15 points in the second half, helping top-seeded Indiana earn a split of the first two post-season games at home. George also had four steals and blocked a shot while helping keep Hawks point guard Jeff Teague in check. "Thats why he was in the MVP conversation early," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "He always does those types of things, guarding the best perimeter player, rebounding the ball, deflecting the ball. His hands were all over the place. It makes him one of the most complete players in the game when he plays like he did tonight."" The Pacers sure needed it. For seven weeks, Indiana heard everyone question its fortitude, team chemistry, even whether it was worthy of a No. 1 seed. The complaints grew louder after Saturdays 101-93 loss. George and his teammates spent the next 72 hours seeking solutions and defiantly insisting they would be OK. On Tuesday, they finally reverted to their early season from. Indiana limited the Hawks to 33 second-half points and dominated the third quarter. Next up is Game 3 on Thursday in Atlanta, where the Pacers have only two wins since December 2006 -- though one of those closed out last years first-round playoff series in six games. "We want to build on what weve got going," Indiana forward David West said. "We want to continue to be aggressive. We know theyre going to play better at home, but were going down there to get back in charge of this series." George was 9 for 16 from the field, including a 5-for-7 performance from 3-point range. He also went 4 for 4 at the line. Perhaps more importantly, he managed to contain Teague after he burned Indiana for 28 points in Game 1. George wanted the responsibility of guarding Teague, who had seven points in the first quarter and seven more for the rest of the game. "I sat down and it was homework for me, just locking into his tendencies and figuring out where I will get beat or where Im vulnerable against him," George said. "Its a challenge." George was the catalyst, but he had plenty of help. Hill, who had been mired in an offensive funk, made 5 of 6 shots in the second half. Luis Scola, who kept the Pacers close when West got into early foul trouble, finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. The defence that gave up 11 3-pointers in Game 1 and eight more in the first half of Game 2, allowed just two over the final 24 minutes. "Our execution on both ends of the court wasnt at the level we need it to be," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Give them credit, they were aggressive, they made a lot of plays and our execution, particularly in the third quarter has to be better. Thats what well work on." Indiana appeared to be in trouble when it trailed 38-27 in the second quarter and was still down 52-48 at halftime. But the Pacers stormed into the lead with a 31-13 third quarter. West sparked a 25-2 run with a bank shot that made it 70-65 with 3:20 left in the third. George made a buzzer-beating 3 to make it 79-65 heading into the fourth, and the Pacers scored the first eight points of the final period. "If thats what it took for everyone to understand how close this team is, thats what it was," George said. "Weve got each others back and thats what it felt like." NOTES: Atlanta was trying to open a playoff series with two straight road wins for the first time since the St. Louis Hawks swept Baltimore 3-0 in the 1966 Western Division semifinals. ... Defending Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan attended the game. ... Atlanta outscored Indiana 30-16 in the third quarter Saturday. Los Angeles Lakers Pro Shop . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game. Fake Lakers Jerseys . So he and his Toronto FC teammates say they will have no problem getting up for their Amway Canadian Championship final against rival Montreal Impact, even if the result doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ .5 million contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. Hatcher agreed to terms Thursday, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed. Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. Lakers Jerseys China . scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. PHILADELPHIA -- Wilin Rosario got some words of encouragement and then broke himself and the Colorado Rockies out of an offensive slump. Rosario hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and Jorge De La Rosa pitched six strong innings to lift the Rockies to a 6-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. Rosario entered the game without a hit in his previous 13 at-bats, but he got a pep talk from De La Rosa before the game. "I told Rosario in the training room before the game, You have to do something to win the game," a smiling De La Rosa said afterward. "And he did." Drew Stubbs went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI for the Rockies, who had lost four of five while being outscored 16-0 in their two previous games. "That was a great win because we battled hard," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We had a tough night (Monday). This team shows up well every day, and they turn the page. They went out there ready to win a game tonight." Ben Revere hit his first career homer in his 1,466th at-bat, and Darin Ruf also went deep for the Phillies. The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 22 minutes due to rain. De La Rosa (6-3) continued his strong stretch, allowing one run and six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. The left-hander is 6-0 with a 1.58 ERA in his last seven starts. He wiggled out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third when he got Revere to ground out, Jimmy Rollins to pop out and Chase Utley to fly out. "I just tried to keep the ball on the ground," De La Rosa said. "Thats how I got out of it." Said Weiss, "I feel like the game kind of turned right there. That was critical." Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg agreed. "Came back to haunt us," Sandberg said. "Thats a big momentum inning for them getting out of it. . Theres just something about getting the job done in that situation." Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels (1-3) was cruising along until walking consecutive batters with one out in the seventh. After Justin Morneau flied out for the second out, Rosario broke out of a slump by lifting Hamels first pitch just over the wall in right to give Colorado a 4-1 lead. He had been 0 for 15 before the homer, his sixth in 10 career games at Citizens Bank Park. "That was a big hit for him, a real money hit," Weiss said.dddddddddddd Said Hamels, "If the pitch is down, its a definite different result. Its just a poorly executed pitch. I have to be able to make that pitch." Hamels left after the seventh after giving up four runs and three hits with four strikeouts and those two walks. Reveres one-out homer off left-handed reliever Boone Logan in the seventh just cleared the wall in right to pull Philadelphia within 4-2. Revere pointed skyward after crossing the plate, then grinned while receiving congratulations from Rollins before entering a silent dugout. His teammates relented after a minute or so and mobbed the smiling Revere. "Its a good feeling," Revere said. "When I got to second base, I didnt know what to do. I was trying not to smile but some guys got on me. It was fun. Ill try to hit 400 more." Rufs fourth-inning homer to left tied the game at 1 and halted De La Rosas scoreless streak at 15 1-3 innings. Ruf was starting at first base in place of left-handed slugger Ryan Howard, who sat against the lefty starter despite going 3 for 4 with a homer and five RBIs in Philadelphias 9-0 win over Colorado on Monday and knocking in 14 runs in his last nine games against the Rockies. It was the first homer of the season for Ruf, who was activated from the disabled list last Wednesday after recovering from a left oblique strain. Howard pinch hit with one out and two on in the eighth against righty Adam Ottavino and grounded into an inning-ending double play. It was the 58th double play of the season for the Rockies, who led the majors in that category entering Tuesday. Colorado got on the board first with a run in the fourth on Troy Tulowitzkis hard-hit sacrifice fly. Tulowitzki, the NL batting leader who entered hitting .447 off lefties, went 0 for 2 against Hamels. NOTES: Rockies LF Carlos Gonzalez was lifted after the fourth inning due to a right calf contusion. He is day-to-day. . Philadelphias Marlon Byrd went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, dropping him to 1 for his last 17. ... LPGA golfer Gerina Piller was on hand to promote the tours stop this week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway, New Jersey. ... The three-game series concludes Wednesday night when Rockies RHP Jordan Lyles (5-1, 3.45) opposes Phillies RHP Roberto Hernandez (2-2, 3.83). ' ' '