Paul George changes things up to help carry offensive load for Pacers

On a night when David West caught an inordinate amount of front iron and was unable to carry a big offensive load, Paul George stepped up to take a bigger share of the O, scoring an efficient 20 points while grabbing seven rebounds.

George also looked different with the ball in his hands -- more confident and appearing to have a plan with the ball in his hands. After making his first shot, PG knocked down smooth a one-dribble pull-up that reeked of confidence. Something that has been absent in George's offensive game for much of the early season.

"I prepared a little differently for tonight," George said. "And it work. I came in here a little earlier, got a lift in and gotta lot of shots up. I sat down with the coaches and kind of talked a little bit and I was just out there being aggressive."

The frustrations of the early season losses and lack of consistent play pushed George to change things up. He's been anything but efficient with the ball in his hands, instead turning it over too much and missing forced shots.

"I've been frustrated all season long," George said. "Shots aren't going down, I'm getting good looks but just couldn't knock the shots down so I had to switch something up and it worked, I guess."

George hashed things out with assistant coach Jim Boylen who stressed being more efficient with his play at both ends of the court. PG took the straight talk as constructive criticism as an opportunity to learn and get better.

There's two ways you can interpret it," George said. "And I took is as, while I'm out there I've cot to make the most of what coach is giving me."

On Friday against the Wizards, George did just that with 20 points on 12 shots. He also closed out the game with two free throws as the Wizards players and bench were chirping at him to choke. Instead, PG proclaimed the game over and then made both free throws to back up his words.

Perfect ending to a solid night for George. Now let's see if he can do it on a consistent basis.

Check out the links:

• Wizards at Pacers - Box score and highlights
• Rewind: Pacers 89, Wizards 85 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
• Pacers Still Figuring Things Out | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
• The Associated Press: George helps Pacers top lowly Wizards 89-85 - AP
• Pacers avoid another defeat, scrape by Wizards, 89-85 | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Pacers notebook: A.J. Price returns to town as key member of Wizards | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• George, Green help Pacers keep Wizards winless | 1070 The Fan – Opinion & Analysis
• Wizards vs. Pacers: Washington falls to 0-5 with 89-85 loss - The Washington Post
• Wizards drop close game in Indiana 89-85 - Bullets Forever
• Pacer Bench Delivers a Win Over the Wizards | Eight Points, Nine Seconds
• Danny Granger Made His Teammates Better | Eight Points, Nine Seconds
• Phil Jackson reunion with Lakers could lack perfect Hollywood ending - Yahoo! Sports
• Sources -- Phil Jackson meets with Los Angeles Lakers brass - ESPN Los Angeles