Well at least the offense appears to be clicking.

But the Pacers' lauded defense was nowhere to be seen, allowing open jumpers and back cuts to the basket all night long in a very disappointing 114-110 loss in OT.

The Pacers shot 54.3% from the field, which is almost unheard of for them, but they allowed 98 points in regulation and 16 more in overtime while allowing the Jazz to shoot at 53%. Even though they dominated the boards 41-28, the allowed about a zillion offensive rebounds in OT (in a row, mind you) and were extremely sloppy with the ball, turning it over 21 times with lazy passes and poor ball protection.

David West had 24, newly minted All-Star Paul George had 23, George Hill had 22 and Roy Hibbert had 14 and 12, but was repeatedly burned by the Jazz on the defensive end. DJ Augustin was the standout off the bench with 11, and it's good to see him finally gaining some confidence. Gerald Green, by the way, was sent back to be analyzed by doctors after complaining of feeling ill lately. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

Anyway, the Pacers played bad enough for most of the game but not bad enough to be blown out. Somehow, thanks to a trio of turnovers from Gordon Hayward, they came back to push the game into OT. And even when it looked like the game was over in OT, the Pacers managed to hit some ridiculously tough three-pointers (first Paul George then George Hill) to cut the game back to a one-possession game.

Then something strange happened. With just a few seconds to go, Al Jefferson inbounded the ball from his own baseline and it clipped the backboard on its way in, and was tapped around before it ended back in his hands and he was fouled, effectively ending the game.

There was a lot of confusion and the refs ruled that the ball had clipped the side/bottom of the backboard, meaning that it was not a violation.

According to Rule 1(c) of the NBA Rules:

c. Five sides of the backboard (front, two sides, bottom and top) are considered in play when contacted by the basketball. The back of the backboard and the area directly behind it are out-of-bounds.

Based on this rule, it meant that the ball was in play and the no-call was correct. However, it is arguable that the ball at least hit some of the back of the backboard, considering Jefferson was inbounding from behind the baseline, and photos showed the ball hit the bottom right corner from behind.

Moreover, I think this rule should have in any case been overruled by Rule 8 Section III (f) of the NBA Rules:

f. A throw-in which touches the floor, or any object on or outside the boundary line, or touches anything above the playing surface is a violation. The ball must be thrown directly inbounds.

The backboard is, technically, within the boundary line and therefore above the playing surface. I didn't write the rules but I don't know how else to interpret this other than that a throw-in that touches any part of the backboard on its way in is a violation, and the ball should have gone to the Pacers. Then again, a player is also "anything" above the playing service, so perhaps the rules are just badly written and don't make sense.

Not to say the ruling cost the Pacers the game, because quite honestly they didn't deserve to win it and should never have allowed themselves to be in that position in the first place.

The loss shouldn't be all that surprising considering how unstable the Pacers have been on the road, and this is the third game of a tough Western Conference road trip. The last leg of the trip is in Denver, and the Nuggets have traditionally been a horrible matchup for the Pacers. It will take one of their best efforts of the year to get the win.

As expected, Paul George was named a reserve to the NBA All-Star Game next month in Houston, and David West was not. Both guys were arguably deserving but things turned out for the best.

Being named an All-Star will give George a huge boost in confidence and affirm his belief that he belongs with the best players in the league. His athleticism and finishing ability also makes him a perfect fit for a game where dunks and highlight reels dominate for at least the first three quarters of the game.

Not being named an All-Star is exactly what David West wanted. It's his daughter's birthday on Feb. 16 and it's a good time for him to rest those old legs and spend time with the family.

Everybody wins.

Well that sucked. The Pacers can't be considered a serious threat for the title until they show that they can win on the road with some kind of consistency.

Following that impressive victory against the Grizzlies, the Pacers fell into a shooting slump again and were blown away 100-80 by Portland, the first time they gave up 100 points or more to an opponent since a loss to Atlanta on Dec. 29 last year.

It seemed like a good opportunity for the Pacers to extend Portland's recent six-game losing streak, but instead they failed to compete on both sides of the floor, allowing the Blazers to shoot 56.4% while connecting on just 37.5% of their own. I hate to say it, but there's no reason why this Pacers team, with the kind of offensive players that they have, should continue to be so horrible offensively. Yes, Danny Granger is out, but it shouldn't be THIS bad.

David West had 21 but was repeatedly burned by LaMarcus Aldridge, who had a game high 27. Paul George had 22 and George Hill 11, but no other Pacer managed to reach double figures.

The 26-17 Pacers next visit the 23-19 Utah on Saturday. The Pacers have not lost consecutive games since Dec. 9, so this will be a great bounce back opportunity.

Tough game. And a big win. One I didn't really see happening.

But in the end, George Hill hit the go-ahead free throw and a seemingly buzzer-beating shot by Rudy Gay was ruled to have come after the buzzer (even before the video replay confirmed it). Pacers win 82-81, snap a 4-game road losing streak and sweep the season series with Memphis.

Paul George was an assist shy of a triple double, putting up 12 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. The starters again did what they had to do -- David West had 14, Roy Hibbert had 10, George Hill had 13 and Lance Stephenson had 8.

The bench was not awful and for once gave the team a boost, led by Tyler Hansbrough's 9 points. Interesting to see rookie Orlando Johnson getting more minutes over Gerald Green, who only played 6 minutes. Johnson had two threes and finished with 6 points and 3 turnovers. Not sure if it is because Green is still recovering for illness or if he is being punished for his lackluster play.

As expected, it was an ugly game between two excellent defensive but poor offensive teams. Considering how uninspiring the Pacers have been on the road thus far this season (10-13, including today's win), I honestly didn't expect them to pull this one out. It's a great morale booster and a solid start to their tough 4-game road trip out West.

The Pacers are now 26-16 and will next play Portland on Wednesday. They are just half a game behind the New York Knicks for the second seed in the East.

There's a few ways to look at the Houston Rockets, who had lost five straight heading into their game with the Pacers. The first is that they are struggling and would be a perfect bounceback opponent for the Pacers after their dreadful loss against the Magic. The second is that the Rockets are desperate for a win and would be extremely dangerous.

I think the first theory turned out to be true. The Pacers didn't really have a lot of trouble with the Rockets in the end and cruised to a 105-95 victory, their 11th straight at home. The Pacers actually played at the Rockets speed, but which was a risky move considering how awful their offence has been all season.

But luckily for the Pacers, Paul George had it going, pouring in 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals in another strong statement game that may eventually land him in his first all-star game. David West made a statement of his own with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. For the season, George is averaging 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.75 blocks, while West is averaging 16.6 points, 8 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

George has had some huge games and he's been one of the best wing defenders in the league. Tonight he held James Harden, one of the top scorers in the league, to 17 points on 5-19 shooting. West, on the other hand, has been a rock, the most consistent offensive player, by far, on the team, and the clutchest. Considering how the Pacers are going right now (25-16, first in Central) you'd had to say both have a moderate chance to nab one of the last spots on the roster.

Gerald Green had food poisoning and missed the game, and Ian Mahinmi was lost in the second half with a stomach ailment. But that was probably a good thing overall because it meant more minutes for the starters.

Now the road gets very tough. Four road games out West against the Grizzlies, Blazers, Jazz and Nuggets. No back-to-backs, which is crucial, but considering how much the Pacers have struggled lately on the road, it's going to be a struggle just going 2-2 on this trip. Anything better would be a huge boost of confidence.