Der Tzol-Kin » two strokes over Brian Harman and Merritt. Crane

INDIANAPOLIS -- All David West wanted to do Monday night was get his team playing the right way. He made sure of it. West scored 25 points in less than 27 minutes and Roy Hibbert added 14 as the NBAs top team dominated the middle and blew past short-handed Denver 119-80 for its most lopsided win this season. "We played with the right attitude. We came out aggressively. We got off to a good start," West said. "Tonight, we made a concentrated effort to get to the goal. No letdowns." For the Pacers (40-11), it was just another stepping stone victory. They still have the leagues best record, best home mark (25-2) and best defence. They still lead two-time defending champion Miami, now by four games, in the Eastern Conference. They still have not lost back-to-back games since mid-December and have not lost three straight all season. They even padded their league-leading scoring differential. And if Denver coach Brian Shaw is to be believed, they might have the best overall player in the league, too. Shaw spent the previous two seasons working extensively to help George when he served as an Indiana assistant. "Paul George is an All-Star starter, and I said this morning that hes the best two-way player in the game -- and that includes LeBron (James) and everyone else you include," the Nuggets coach said after Indiana ended its five-game skid in this series. The scariest part may be that the Pacers didnt even need George to be at his best Monday night. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists -- numbers mitigated by the fact the Pacers were so far ahead after three quarters that coach Frank Vogel rested his starters the entire fourth quarter and didnt play any of them more than 28 1/2 minutes. Instead, George was content to let West and Hibbert lead the way. Did they ever. West scored 21 of his points in the first half and finished 11 of 13 from the field, making his last nine shots. Not surprisingly, Indiana outscored Denver 58-36 in the paint. Hibbert finished with 12 rebounds on a night the Pacers had a 56-37 advantage. That, combined with Denvers depleted roster, was just too much for the Nuggets (24-26) to overcome. Denver has now lost three in a row, five of its last seven and has suffered its two most embarrassing defeats of the season in less than a week. It lost 117-90 at New York on Friday. The Nuggets also finished with a season-worst shooting percentage (31.5), far worse than their previous low mark (36.4) against the Clippers on Dec. 21. Only three players reached double figures -- Wilson Chandler with 17, J.J. Hickson with 12 and Jordan Hamilton with 11. Only 10 players dressed for the Nuggets and their top two point guards -- Ty Lawson, the Nuggets top scorer, and backup Nate Robinson -- sat out with injuries. Lawson missed the game with a fractured left rib. Robinson was out with a sprained ACL in his left knee. Randy Foye played reasonably well at an unfamiliar spot, finishing with nine points, 10 assists and only three turnovers, the Nuggets werent the same without their two playmaking ball-handlers. "We were just timid, unsure with everything we did," Shaw said. "Sometimes, youre overmatched. Tonight, we were overmatched." After trailing for the only time all night, 11-10, Indiana quickly took control. West spurred a 22-5 run that gave Indiana a 37-20 lead early in the second quarter. The Pacers then finished the half on a 14-4 run to make it 61-40, and Denver never got closer than 19 over the rest of the night. "At this point in the season, we need every win," George said. "Tonight we were able to come out early and just execute. I thought we played with a lot of energy, we shared the ball, we did a great job defensively. We forced them to take tough shots." Notes: Indianas last win over Denver was a 31-point blowout in November 2010. ... The Pacers also avoided getting swept by Denver, something they had done only three times in the previous eight seasons. ... The Pacers led by 21 points at the half and by 29 after three quarters, both season bests. ... Indianas 58 points in the paint also tied a season high. ... Denver finishes a four-game road trip Wednesday at Minnesota. Laurie Boschman Jersey . The Maple Leafs will play on the road for the first time this season after dropping home contests to Montreal and Pittsburgh to begin the campaign. After losing a one-goal decision to the Canadiens on Wednesday, they were bested 5-2 on Saturday by the Penguins. Keith Tkachuk Jets Jersey . Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-keith-tkachuk-jets-jersey/ . Lisicki beat South African Chanelle Scheepers by a 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) margin. Next up for the Wimbledon runner-up will be Slovenian Polona Hercog, who outlasted Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Blake Wheeler Jersey . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. Blake Wheeler Jets Jersey .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Ben Crane estimates he slept less than three hours in a night spent praying and thanking God that his game finally has come back around. Then he played 30 holes Sunday in winning the St. Jude Classic for his first PGA Tour title since 2011, setting off a celebration that included hugging his caddie and high-fiving a reporter. Crane also choked back some tears as he looked at text messages filling his phone. "Oh my gosh, it just keeps going," Crane said, looking at his phone. "How many can a phone hold? This is so much fun" Crane closed with a 3-over 73 for a one-stroke victory, going wire to wire for his fifth career victory. Rain delays forced him into the marathon session Sunday at TPC Southwind, finishing 12 holes in the morning in a third-round 69 to take a three-shot lead into the final round. He two-putted for bogey on the final hole to finish at 10-under 270, days after failing to qualify for the U.S. Open. That marked a low point for the 38-year-old player who spent the past six months reworking his swing to protect his back wondering if his career was over. He spent time with a coach picturing the right way to hit shots. Everything clicked Thursday with an opening 63. "I did not expect the hole to open up like that and just start making putts from everywhere," Crane said. "Just hit a lot of quality shots and obviously built a nice lead to start out with." Troy Merritt was second after a 71. Webb Simpson (65), Matt Every (70) and Carl Pettersson (69) were 8 under, and Ian Poulter had a 64 to tie for sixth at 7 under. Merritt credited the best finish of his career to an improved short game. "Ben played great," Merritt said. "Hats off to him. Well deserved. Hes been struggling for a little while. Very happy for Ben." Phil Mickelson, among those tuning up for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, left winless in his 20th event since the British Open. He tied for 11th at 6 under after a 72. Consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 put Mickelson at 8 under. But he bogeyed the next two, including the par-3 14th where he hit a 7-iron into the water in front of the green. He still finished much better than his tie for 49th at Memorial last week after an early visit from FBI agents and lingering questions about an insider-trading investigation.dddddddddddd "The way I drove the ball last two rounds I had an opportunity to shoot really low," Mickelson said. "My iron play was poor, and my putting was pathetic. Ill have to make some changes and to get ready for next week. But the game is not far off because Im driving the ball very well and putting it in play." Wind, thunderstorms, lightning and fog have delayed play each of the first three days. With more storms forecast, players started the final round almost immediately after concluding the third. They finished without single delay Sunday as the sun even came out as this tournament finished its 57th year without being shortened because of weather. Crane had three bogeys in the final round, one more than he had through 54 holes. He became the first winner on tour without a birdie in his final round since Justin Leonard did it at Southwind in 2005. He cruised along before two-putting for bogey on No. 6, dropping his lead to two strokes over Brian Harman and Merritt. Crane bogeyed No. 9 after hitting his tee shot into the rough. He couldnt clear the rough with his next shot, and his third bounced to the rough behind the green. Crane said he only glanced at the leaderboard a couple times. "I just knew I was leading, and I knew Phil Mickelson was out there so," Crane said. "And Phils a good friend, and he kind of gave me that, Im coming after you." Merritt was the closest, within a stroke for six holes before putting his tee shot on the par-4 15th into the rough. He couldnt roll the ball in from 15 feet to save par. Crane strung together eight straight pars before going to the par-4 No. 18 with a two-stroke lead needing to avoid the water down the left side of the fairway. He did, though he did find the greenside bunker. Crane two-putted from 12 feet for the win. He earned $1,044,000. Divots: Crane is the eighth player in this events history to win after having at least a share of the lead after every round. Lee Westwood was the last in 2010. ... Crane also won the 2010 CIMB Classic before it became an official tour event. ' ' '