David WestUP NEXTNuggets: at Charlotte on Monday night.Pacers: at Minne

MIAMI -- The long break between games in the Eastern Conference finals could be welcomed by Indiana, after Pacers guard Paul George was diagnosed Wednesday with a concussion that will force him to complete several NBA-mandated procedures before he can return to the matchup against the Miami Heat. Stitched Hornets Jerseys . The series, now tied at a game apiece, doesnt resume until Saturday night. And what at first might have been looked at as an awkward break -- three full days off until the next game day -- is probably now welcomed by the Pacers. Indiana not only needs to get George cleared but also had starters Lance Stephenson, Roy Hibbert and David West all either limping or ailing in the final minutes of the Game 2 loss on Tuesday night. George was hurt with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter of Miamis Game 2 victory. He stole the ball from Heat guard Dwyane Wade, but could not keep control and wound up tumbling face-first to the court. Wade, also going for the ball, struck the back of Georges head with his left knee, then appeared to scrape the same area with his right leg as he also fell to the hardwood. George remained down for a few moments, but played the remainder of the game. He revealed afterward that he "blacked out" on the play, something that the Pacers say was not relayed to their medical staff. "George exhibited no symptoms of a concussion and, in response to questions from the Pacers medical staff, he denied dizziness, nausea, and issues with his vision," the Pacers said Wednesday. "He was also active and aware of his surroundings. As a result, the Indiana medical staff did not suspect a concussion." But after the "blacked out" comment, the Pacers evaluated George again Wednesday morning. "This case illustrates that concussion evaluation is an ongoing process and manifestations of the injury may not always present immediately," said NBA Concussion Program Director Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, who will discuss Georges return-to-participation process with the Pacers team doctor before clearance is given for a return. Miami evened the series with an 87-83 win, after LeBron James and Wade controlled the fourth quarter for the Heat. George made a 3-pointer to give Indiana a 73-69 lead on the possession immediately preceding the one where he got tangled with Wade. The Heat answered with a 13-2 run over the next 5 minutes, James scoring nine of those points and Wade getting the other four. Just like that, the Heat grabbed the home-court edge in the series. "Theyre a tough bunch," Heat forward Chris Bosh said of the Pacers. "Very good team and were going to continue to challenge each other throughout the series. Its just now getting started. We have to take care of home court. First, we can really relax for a few days, and then get to it on Saturday." Both teams were off on Wednesday. "I just know Ive got warriors behind me, and were just going to take it to them," Stephenson said. "Weve just got to take our time. Its a long series. Weve just got to stay together." The NBAs concussion policy states that once a player is diagnosed, he needs to be "held out of all activity until he is symptom-free at rest" and until neurological signs return to normal. George will have to go through tests of increasing exertion before he gets cleared. "Its important to note that there is no timeframe to complete the protocol," the NBAs policy states. "Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case." Pacers coach Frank Vogel said he was told during the game that George was "good to go." There were plenty of other aches and pains for Indiana to deal with. West appeared to get poked in an eye in the fourth quarter, Hibbert was flexing his left leg after a tumble in the final seconds, and Stephenson went down at midcourt after colliding with Wade on the games final play, grabbing the area around his right knee. Stephenson got up, took the games last shot and then limped off without needing any on-court medical attention. "Its never pretty basketball in the Eastern Conference," James said. Charlotte Hornets Pro Shop . Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Custom Charlotte Hornets Jerseys . The 31-year-old, a two-time CFL lineman of the year, was among the most coveted free agents on the market. The Windsor, Ont., native will be especially important to a team that has lost veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo to retirement and is expected to go with the less experienced Troy Smith and Tanner Marsh this season. https://www.cheaphornets.com/ . On Friday night, after a long rain delay, he was scratched from his scheduled start.DENVER - On a rough shooting night for both teams, one solid offensive stretch late in the game helped the Denver Nuggets come out on top.Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points, including a 3-pointer to spark the critical fourth-quarter run, and the Nuggets hung on to beat the Indiana Pacers 76-73 on Saturday night.Thats what we needed, Gallinari said. We knew that if we kept our defence up, once our offence clicked for two or three possessions, well be fine.Ty Lawson added 15 points and 10 assists for the Nuggets, who won games on successive nights after losing six of seven coming into the back-to-back set.I think we were happy with our defensive effort, said the Nuggets Arron Afflalo. Obviously, offensively, some guys struggled, including myself. Just had to fight through it, maintain the defensive effort, which was solid. Fortunately, we hit some shots down the stretch.David West had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Pacers, who lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Indiana also dropped its sixth straight game in Denver.Both teams were held to season lows in scoring with Indiana hitting just 30.7 per cent of its shots from the field and Denver making 36.6 per cent.We competed at a high level, got a lot of great looks, Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. I wasnt unhappy with the quality of shots we got. Tough shooting night. I think our whole team was ineffective.With 27.5 seconds remaining in the third quarter, C.J. Miles, who finished with 16 points, made a 3-pointer to even the score at 55-55 heading into the fourth quarter.Indiana went in front 60-55 on another basket by Miles, but Denver then went on its best offensive stretch of the night. Gallinari hit a 3-pointer, the fiirst by Denver on the night after nine misses, to start a 10-0 run that carried the Nuggets to a 65-60 lead with 7:04 remaining. Charlotte Hornets Store. Indiana twice cut the deficit to one in the waning minutes, the last on a desperation 3-pointer by Donald Sloan that pulled the Pacers 74-73 with 1.2 seconds left.The Pacers fouled Afflalo on the inbounds with .6 seconds left and Afflalo made both free throws. Time ran out on the inbounds without Indiana getting a shot off.Both teams struggled to convert shots in the first half. Indiana matched its season low in taking a 33-32 halftime lead. Denver had a season first-half low in points. Both squads made only about one third of their shots in the first two quarters.___TIP INSPacers: C.J. Watson missed the game because of an upper respiratory illness. ... George Hill, who has yet to play this season because of a left knee injury, is nearing a return. George Hill is close, Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before the game. Hes been practicing but hes not going to play tonight or tomorrow. Well see where hes at when we get back home. ... The Pacers also had 33 first half points at Portland on Dec. 4.Nuggets: Darrell Arthur missed a second straight game because of a lower left leg strain. ... Nuggets coach Brian Shaw was the associate head coach with the Pacers under Vogel before being hired by Denver before last season. ... The previous first-half scoring low was 33 points at Oklahoma City on Nov. 1.SUMMING IT UPWe had stuff rattle in and out, halfway down. It wasnt good enough. They made some key shots and we werent able to respond. -- David WestUP NEXTNuggets: at Charlotte on Monday night.Pacers: at Minnesota on Sunday night. ' ' '