Danny Granger helps Indiana Pacers beat Atlanta Hawks 114-102: NBA Recap
Forward Danny Granger scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers cruised past the visiting Atlanta Hawks 114-102 at Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night. The victory helped the Pacers secure the eighth and final playoff
spot in the Eastern Conference.
The defeat extended Atlanta's losing streak to three games. However, the Hawks are still seven games ahead of Indiana in the East. Darren Collison contributed 16 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals for the Pacers, who won their second straight
game.
Centre Roy Hibbert had 14 points and 11 rebounds while Tyler Hansbrough posted 13 points and four rebounds in the victory. The 22-year-old Jeff Teague came off the bench with a team-high 21 points and three rebounds for Atlanta.
Joe Johnson scored 17 points and guard Jamal Crawford finished with 13 points for the Hawks, who have lost five of their last 10 games. Centre forward Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia added 10 points each while Pachulia also pulled down 11 rebounds in the defeat.
The Hawks played the game without forward Josh Smith, who missed his second straight game with a sprained right knee.
Match Analysis
Indiana got off to a quick start and held a 13-7 lead early in the first quarter. Atlanta played some sloppy basketball and allowed the Pacers to extend their lead to as many as 10 points with 2.7 seconds left in the quarter.
Crawford was fouled in the closing seconds of the opening quarter while attempting a three-pointer. He scored 3 of 3 free throws to cut the deficit to 33-26 after 12 minutes.
Guard-forward Dahntay Jones scored all his eight points in the second quarter as Indiana managed to carry a 56-50 edge into the locker room. The Pacers kept their distance as Granger scored 14 of his 28 points in the third quarter. Indiana extended their
lead to 82-71 after three quarters.
The Hawks tried hard to make the score a respectable one in the fourth quarter and trimmed their deficit to eight points on a number of occasions. However, the Pacers maintained their hold on the game down the stretch to seal one of their best victories
of the season by a 12-point margin.
Indiana will face the Eastern Conference Champions, Chicago Bulls in the opening round of the playoffs.
The 27-year-old small forward, Granger was determined to play offensively in the play-off battle. He said, "We are just trying to build momentum going into the playoffs. We are looking to be very offensive, move the ball, hit the open people, and put points
on the board. We are shooting well, passing the ball well, which results in wins."
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