Danny Granger stars as Indiana Pacers overpower Minnesota Timberwolves 109 – 99 – NBA Recap
The Indiana Pacers defeated Minnesota Timberwolves with a polished display 109 – 99 on Wednesday. The game at the Target Center was taken over by Pacers forward Danny Granger and his team capitalized to overcome the talented Timberwolves.
Granger was a monster in the game for Indiana as he provided them the offensive impetus needed to outshine the vibrant Timberwolves. Granger scored a game high 36 points that included 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 13-of-15 from the free throw line.
Darren Collison was also impressive for the Pacers with his 20 points and 9 assists while centre Roy Hibbert scored 15 and grabbed 9 boards.
Minnesota were spearheaded by Kevin Love once more as the young star notched up a double-double, 21 points and 17 rebounds. Rookie sensation Ricky Rubio had a below par night with 10 points and 6 assists while Luke Ridnour scored 16.
Indiana opened the game with a 7 – 0 spurt but the Timberwolves took the first quarter. With Indiana up 16 – 7 within the first 5 minutes, Timberwolves went 18 – 4 for the rest of the segment to end up with a 25 – 20 advantage.
Indiana though fought back in the second quarter. They held the Timberwolves to just 16 points while piling on 25 of their own. This gave them a 45 – 41 lead going into the break.
The Timberwolves tried to regain the upper hand coming out of the interval but Indiana held them off. Although Minnesota started the third with a 5 – 0 run that gave them back the lead, the Pacers were able to overcome them and by the end of the period were
up at 76 – 70.
Indiana then started the final period with a 5 – 0 burst that took their lead into double-digits. Timberwolves tried to mount several comebacks as the quarter progressed but each time their efforts were rebuffed by the Pacers. In fact, Indiana were able
to outscore them in the deciding quarter as well, piling on 33 points as the Timberwolves defence failed to cope and took the game with ease at the end; final score 109 – 99.
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