Danny Granger stars as the Pacers down the Wizards 95-86
Danny Granger finished with 18 points, as the Indiana Pacers rolled to a 95-86 victory over the Washington Wizards at Conseco Fieldhouse. The win meant that Indiana snapped
a three-game losing streak.
Darren Collison also contributed 18 points in Indiana's 14th win of the season. Roy Hibbert provided a spark off the bench, chipping in with 17 points, two assists and
eight rebounds for the Pacers. Paul George, playing in just his 10th game of the season, scored a career-high 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the victory.
“I am young; my body is in good shape. I must prepare my mind to be ready to play every game. A lot of confidence was built off this game tonight. I do not want to be
too high or too low. I want to keep working and hopefully keep progressing” George said after the game.
John Wall scored a game-high 25 points, Rashard Lewis had 15 points and Al Thornton posted 10 points for the Wizards. Washington have lost 15 of 18 games, and are 8-7
at home this season. They are now 0-16 on the road.
Game Story
You have got to love rivalries. When you have two of the worst teams in the East going against each other, you have got to look for ways to make things interesting. Until
about halfway through the fourth quarter it was looking like just another ugly, boring game that was in desperate need of some inspiration. The Wizards could not shoot, and the Pacers could not rebound. However, Indiana took control of the game with three
minutes left until the final quarter, and the game really livened up.
Badly needing a win, Indiana played some early tenacious shots and led by nine points in the opening quarter. However, two free throws by Young late in the quarter cut
the Wizards deficit to 25-22 heading to the second stanza. Indiana extended their lead into the second quarter and maintained a 49-34 lead at the break.
The Wizards fought hard in the third quarter to make the score a respectable one and scored 28 points, capped by a 9-2 run. Although the Pacers played sloppy basketball
in the third, they slowly began to build their lead, and were ahead 76-62 heading into the final quarter.
Leading by 14 points, George's fast-break dunk on a lob from Collison extended Indiana’s lead back to 17. However, Washington trimmed it to 11 with five minutes to go
in the final quarter. Granger kept the Pacers from rallying in the fourth, ignoring the boos - just as he has all season - to keep hitting shots and give Indiana momentum until the final buzzer.
Wizards coach Flip Saunders told reporters, "It seems that at home we play with a lot more urgency and aggressiveness, and on the road we seem to come out passive. I love
the way our crowd gets us into the start of the game, but we just don't seem to come out with the same passion on the road."
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