Indiana Pacers beat Washington Wizards 109-96; Hold on to the 3rd spot in the East -NBA Recap
Danny Granger had 20 points while Darren Collison scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 109-96, holding on to the third spot in the top heavy Eastern Conference.
Roy Hibbert had 13 points and 4 blocks on the night for the Pacers.
Jordan Crawford had 28 points for Washington; Kevin Seraphin managed a career-high of 19 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Wizards have now lost the eighth game out of their previous nine.
Indiana had a great shooting night as they connected on 57.9% from the field and 89.5% from the charity line. Despite being out rebounded, both on the defensive and offensive end, Pacers were still able to make the most of their
lack of rebounds with points in the paint, scoring 54 as compared to the Wizards 42.
After an almost perfect first quarter from the field - Pacers shot 14 out of 16 in the first period – Indiana capped the opening twelve minutes with a 9 point advantage. At the start of the game, it looked as though it was going
to be one of those nights when Washington will simply have no answer to the red hot Pacers, but gradually the Wizards started to warm up.
Pacers, who were looking to extend their advantage in the second period, went cold as they managed only 15 points on the quarter. This turn of events for Indiana, gifted the lead away to the home side as they only took a minor
one point advantage into the second half 52-51.
In the second half, it appeared as though someone had turned the switch back ‘ON’ as Indiana came out with all guns blazing, almost mirroring their shooting performance in the first by managing to shoot 16 of 22. This turn around
shooting display, helped the Pacers close out the third period on a 10-4 run while holding a 12 point advantage going into the fourth.
Wizards, who were undermanned on the night with Nene and Trevor Booker still out, did not have any energy to make a comeback in the fourth.
"I just think they're depleted. They have injuries and they have youth, and it's tough to win in the NBA in situations like that. We've got a veteran group that's dialed in to a tight playoff race, so it's just a tough matchup."
Indiana head coach Frank Vogel said after the game.
Pacers who were having an astounding shooting night, continued to extend their advantage and the lead got to as much as 21 points in the fourth quarter. Even without their starters playing in the fourth, the Pacers were still able
to dominate their hosts as they breezed to a 13 point win.
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