It looked very much like an eventual loss early in the second quarter on Sunday night, but the Indiana Pacers showed the most resiliency we've seen from them in months as they rallied to take Game 4, 95-92, over the Washington Wizards.

The victory gives the Pacers, who have won three straight and now five of six games in the playoffs, a 3-1 advantage heading home for Game 5 on Tuesday. They need one more victory to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the second-straight season.

Indiana began the game red-hot, making seven of their first eight shots, but Washington was on point as well. The Wizards went 11-for-19 in the period, while the Pacers cooled down a bit. After the hot start, they went 5-for-12 over the remainder of the first. The Pacers led 27-26 heading into the second quarter. The score represented an offensive explosion in the wake of Game 3, which saw Washington post just 63 points. 

Things went downhill quickly for the visiting Pacers. The Wizards ran up-and-down the floor after missed shots and turnovers, scoring as many points on the fast break (11) and Indiana did in the quarter. The 11 points were a franchise playoff-low for the Pacers.

They shot 3-for-17 with six turnovers in the second, struggling even to convert (4-for-8) at the foul line. The bench was atrocious -- the starters scored an amazing 93 of Indiana's 95 points in the game -- as the Wizards quickly built a commanding lead on the strength of their second unit.

Bradley Beal played the entire quarter, but John Wall, Trevor Ariza, Nene and Marin Gortat combined for a total of just 11 minutes as Andre Miller, Al Harrington and Drew Gooden took over. The 'AARP Group' had 15 points and nine rebounds as Washington took a 55-38 lead into the half. 

If you've spent any time watching this Pacers team over the last few months, you fully expected them to begin packing for home with a 17-point deficit staring them in the face at the Verizon Center. Instead, Paul George made sure that didn't happen.

George caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting from three. Roy Hibbert dominated as well, with nine points and seven rebounds, as the Pacers pulled to within a point (72-71) after 12 minutes of much-better basketball.

Frank Vogel rode his starters for nearly the entire quarter and it paid off. The Pacers scored 33 points on 21 shots, outrebounded the Wizards by eight, allowed zero fast break points and didn't send Washington to the line at all. What felt like a blowout loss was suddenly a very winnable game.

The Wizards responded well to begin the fourth, building an 85-76 lead on a pair of Miller free throws at the 7:09 mark. Had the Pacers expended all their energy digging out of the hole they built in the first half? With the game slipping away yet again, George answered the call.

He hit back-to-back threes, kicking off a 14-4 run that gave the Pacers their first lead since the first quarter buzzer. With the defense turned up, the Wizards were unable to execute in the final two minutes. Washington missed all five of their shot attempts, committed a pair of turnovers and missed an important free throw in the final 2:05.

The Pacers also made a few bone-headed plays -- Lance Stephenson's rebound then off-balance pass to no one with 9.2 seconds left will forever live on in Twitter infamy -- but had enough to hold on. It's amazing they weren't arrested for grand theft while leaving the arena late Sunday night.

Paul George

George exploded in Game 4, leading the Pacers with 39 points and 12 rebounds. He was aggressive and assertive, refusing to let his team resign themselves to a loss after falling behind at halftime.

In the second half, George had 28 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a single turnover. He played all 24 minutes and earned himself 10 trips to the foul line (making eight). He shot 7-for-10 in the half, going 6-for-8 from deep, eschewing an inefficient mid-range game.

His play helped the Pacers develop some of the swagger and confidence they displayed over the first half of the season and the results were clearly favorable.

The Starters

No, I'm not talking about J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas, Trey Kerby and Leigh Ellis. The starting five of each team decided this game. The Pacers received 97.9% of their scoring from their starters, while Randy Wittman's crew struggled at home in the most important game of Washington's season.

Bradley Beal was the only starter with a positive +/- thanks to an extended run with the bench unit during the second quarter. John Wall struggled yet again, shooting 4-for-11 with five turnovers. The 23-year-old is averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 rebounds on 31.4% shooting with 3.5 turnovers in the semifinals.

His production is a big reason why the Wizards now face elimination. He had the best season of his four-year career, posting 19.3 points, 8.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds on 43.3% shooting and 3.6 turnovers.