Indiana Pacers clinch playoff berth with impressive 136-112 win over Washington Wizards
The Indiana Pacers clinched a playoff berth with an impressive 136-112 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards at Conseco Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The victory snapped the Wizards three-game winning streak.
The Pacers secured eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and are four games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Bobcats. This is the first time that Indiana have made it to the play-offs since the 2005-06 season. In addition to that, this was the
Pacers second-highest point total for the season.
Pacers interim coach Frank Vogel was excited about the win and was determined to perform well in the playoffs as well. He said, "A great team win. I am just really, really happy for a lot of guys in that locker room. I am so happy for our fans."
Indiana played the game with a balanced attack, as seven players scored in double figures. Forward Danny Granger contributed 25 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal for Indiana. Paul George had a career-high 23 points, while centre Roy Hibbert
posted 16 points and six rebounds for the Pacers, who have won four of their last five games.
Tyler Hansbrough and guard Darren Collison added 15 points each while Collison also grabbed a game-high 11 assists in the victory. Mike Dunleavy came off the bench with 14 points, while Josh McRoberts finished with 10 points for Indiana, who bounced back
from a 108-96 defeat to New Orleans Hornets in their previous game.
Jordan Crawford scored 29 points, while Andray Blatche racked up 23 for the Wizards, who have lost six of their last 10 games. John Wall managed 19 points and nine rebounds and guard-forward Othyus Jeffers finished with 13 points in the defeat.
Match Analysis
The Pacers were brilliant in the first quarter as they scored a season-high 43 points, while limiting the visiting team to just 29. George scored 16 of his 32 points in the first half as Indiana carried a 75-56 lead into the locker room.
The Pacers extended their lead to as many as 29 points midway through the third quarter, and managed to take a 108-87 advantage heading into the fourth. Indiana maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
The 27-year-old small-forward Granger credited interim coach Vogel with the victory. He said, "It is a credit to Frank and his staff. Granted, we still have some problems, and we had some problems along the way, but with the time they had to rehaul the team
and do things differently, I think they did a great job."
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