Danny Granger leads Indiana Pacers past the Chicago Bulls, 89-84 at the Conseco Fieldhouse
The Indiana Pacers almost lost the game they needed to win very badly. They needed a saviour desperately and inevitably it turned out to be Danny Granger. With seconds remaining
on the clock and the Bulls breathing just beneath the Pacers’ neck, Granger hit four crucial free throws that broke the game open and pulled the Pacers to an 89-84 victory, their first in four attempts in the best-of-seven series against the Chicago Bulls.
Granger finished with a game high 24 points and 10 rebounds and finally salvaged a win for the Pacers in a series that was fast drifting in Chicago’s direction. The Pacers
still trail the series 1-3.
Indiana Pacers’ centre Roy Hibbert pulled out 16 points on a 6-for-12 shooting from the field and grabbed 10 boards. The player expressed his views on the victory when he
later said, "We have had three games that we've been in there for the whole game and didn't get it closed out. Tonight, we arrived. We came over the hump and got the W. We proved we're as strong as anybody else and can win with anybody else."
Joakim Noah scooped out team high 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in 32 plus minutes for Chicago. Loul Deng contributed 16 points in 45 minutes. Top scorer and MVP favourite
Derrick Rose who sprained his left ankle at the end of first quarter managed to score series low 15 points after making a comeback in the game. The player also dished out 10 assists in the loss.
Later, when asked about how he felt about the injured ankle, the player sounded positive and said, “I'm good. That's basketball. You're going to have injuries. Anytime as
a guard you get hurt during the game you just want to be able to keep moving so it doesn't tighten up, and have to make sure you keep your shoes tight."
The Pacers were touching the sky as they surged to a 19-3 run over the Chicago Bulls early in the game. The Bulls missed 10 successive shots during that stretch and were
trailing by 18 points early in the third quarter, 51-33. The Pacers continued to press on with their offensive onslaught and led by 84-71, late in fourth quarter. The Bulls however, catapulted vociferously and managed to cut the deficit short to just one point,
85-84 with 15.3 seconds left in the game. Seeing a 13 point lead being subtracted to just one point, Granger relied on free throws to propel the Pacers to victory.
Indiana’s 28-year-old small forward, Granger has been tremendous throughout the series. The player has lifted the Pacers with an average of 22.0 points. In the game, he
not only pulled off the game winning free throws but also blocked three shots in 37 plus minutes of action.
Chicago’s starters on the other hand seemed to miss the beat. Noah was the only one to manage 8-of-13 shots off the field, whereas the rest of the starting squad combined
for a meagre 17-of-52 shooting. The Bulls could not make a considerable impact from the long range either; they could only clinch three 3-pointers in the loss, recording a 3-of-20 shooting from the downtown.
The victory was definitely an encouraging one for the Pacers. The young team gave their home crowd a win they can cherish on to. With three more games left in the series,
Indiana Pacers need to vitalize their surge and see if they can hold back the top seeded Chicago Bulls who are already leading the series. Next game takes place on Tuesday night at the United Center, Chicago.
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