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INDIANAPOLIS - If you ask the Phoenix Suns about their promising start to the NBA season, coach Jeff Hornacek is optimistic while the players are focused on the long-term goal of getting back to the playoffs.After making a late-season playoff push last spring, the Phoenix Suns have picked up where they left off and are blazing their way through their first extended road trip of the season.Gerald Green scored a game-high 23 points, Isaiah Thomas scored 16 points off the bench and two other starters scored in double figures Saturday in Phoenixs 106-83 road win over Indiana. With the victory Phoenix (9-5) got its fourth straight win - all on the road during a six-game road trip.Things are looking up in the Valley of the Sun.Were getting a little bit of a rhythm, Hornacek said. Its something about being on the road. These guys have come together and everybody is contributing.The Suns improved their road record to 5-2 this season and remain one of the leagues highest-scoring teams. And it was their ability to score in bunches that allowed the Suns to seize control against the Pacers.Green, going against his former team, caught fire with three minutes left in the first quarter and stayed hot until he took himself out with seven minutes left in the half. In that stretch, Green dumped 18 points on the Pacers and helped the Suns maintain a lead that they took into the half (55-48).Hes among the group inside the organization that feels the team has turned the corner with Hornacek at the helm. But that group also says last seasons late run and this seasons early success only will be meaningful if the Suns can be consistent over the course of an 82-game schedule.Were potentially a 48-to-50 win team, Green said. But potential doesnt mean anything if you dont prepare your potential. Right now were just trying to take it game-by-game. Just because you win four games in-a-row doesnt mean youre guaranteed to make the playoffs so were just trying to use this to build on.With the loss, the Pacers not only saw their two-game win streak end, but they lost starting centre Roy Hibbert midway through the first quarter due to a sprained left ankle. He attempted to return with 9:23 left in the first half but was unable to remain in the game. Hibbert logged just under seven minutes in the game.In his absence, Ian Mahinmi recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds but was limited in the fourth quarter because of foul trouble. The Pacers werent certain on Hibberts status immediately after the game. He had already left the arena before the game ended.Should Hibbert miss any action other than the 2 1/2 quarters he sat out Saturday, hell join fellow starters George Hill, David West and Paul George on the sidelines. Those three starters have not yet played a game for the Pacers this season.Despite relying on role players in the starting lineup because of the number of injuries, Indiana (5-8) had won four of its last five games entering Saturdays contest. Indiana was led by Rodney Stuckey, who scored 14 points off the Pacers bench. Hill scored 13 and grabbed six rebounds. Markieff Morris added 13 for Phoenix and Goran Dragic had 11.Now headed out for a two-game road trip against Dallas and San Antonio, the Pacers say theyre still confident in themselves and in the way theyre approaching games despite having three starters who havent played and awaiting an update on Hibberts left ankle.I think were here mentally. Were in every game, said Hill, who hit the game-winning shot Wednesday for Indiana in an 88-86 win over Charlotte. We still believe in each other.___TIP-INSNO HARD FEELINGS - Going against his former team, Gerald Green torched the Pacers for 18 points in an 8-minute span. Indiana had no answer, and Greens run came to an end only because he pulled himself out of the game to catch a breather.THEYRE FREE - Phoenix has taken advantage of its trips to the foul stripe this season, leading the league at 82.9 per cent going into Saturdays game. Against the Pacers, the Suns knocked down 18 of 20 free throws.UP NEXTIndiana plays on the road Monday at Dallas.Phoenix travels to Toronto on Monday. Erik Karlsson Sharks Jersey . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT. Martin Jones Sharks Jersey . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/antti-suomela-jersey/ . They probably ruined Tim Duncans hopes of a career change, though. Duncan wants to be a point guard, coach Gregg Popovich revealed Saturday, a wish that wont be granted. Marcus Sorensen Jersey . - Chris Davis hit a two-run double, scoring Nelson Cruz in his Orioles debut in Baltimores 9-7 win over to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Antti Suomela Sharks Jersey . Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.SPOKANE, Wash. -- Xavier Thames dropped in 3s from deep, finessed floaters in the lane and carried San Diego State the way he did all season as the Mountain West player of the year. Thames would not let North Dakota State become this years version of Florida Gulf Coast by sending the Aztecs home in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Thames scored 30 points, and fourth-seeded San Diego State reached the round of 16 for the second time in school history, ending the run of No. 12 seed North Dakota State 63-44 on Saturday. The Aztecs (31-4) now get to make the short drive up the interstate to Anaheim, Calif., where they will face either No. 1 seed Arizona or eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the West Regional semifinals on Thursday. Thames, who was 9 of 19 from the field, had five assists and ended the comeback hopes of the Bison with a six-point spurt late in the second half that pushed the Aztecs lead to 12. He finished one shy of his career-high in points. Dwayne Polee II was the only other San Diego State player in double figures with 15, but the Aztecs didnt need a ton of scoring with Thames carrying the load and another defensive performance that suffocated the best shooting team in the country. Kory Brown led the Bison (26-7) with 13 points, but it was the struggles of leading scorer Taylor Braun that had North Dakota State trying to play catch up. Braun missed nine straight shots during one stretch. Sometimes he was guarded by Thames. Other times it was J.J. OBrien taking a turn on the Summit League player of the year. Braun finished 2-of-14 shooting and justt seven points.dddddddddddd. North Dakota State shot 50.9 per cent for the season to lead the country, but could only make 31.9 per cent against the Aztecs. The 44 points were a season-low for the Bison, the previous low being 56 in a win over Western Illinois. North Dakota State was one of three No. 12 seeds to help create another manic March by upsetting No. 5 seed Oklahoma 80-75 in overtime in the second round on Thursday. They had the players and the personality to become this years version of FGCU -- just minus all those dunks. Thames wasnt going to allow that to happen. The memories were still fresh of the flight home last year after San Diego State become one of those teams FGCU dunked all over on its way to an unforgettable March run. Thames did it all for the Aztecs in the first half. He was responsible for 23 of San Diego States 30 points, scoring 16 and assisting on another three baskets. He started the second half with a floater in the lane, a shot he repeated minutes later. He then found Polee on the wing for a 3 and the Aztecs lead was back to 40-30 after a quick North Dakota State spurt had trimmed the deficit to five. Braun finally got a shot to fall when he spun in a reverse layup with 12:11 left, his first field goal in nearly 27 minutes of game time. By that point, the Bison were down eight and could never get much closer. Braun finished the first half 1-of-10 shooting and equally quiet was Lawrence Alexander. The guard who hit all the big shots against Oklahoma finished with three points after scoring 28 against the Sooners. ' ' '