Indiana Pacers cruise past Cleveland Cavaliers
The Indiana Pacers bagged their second-straight win as they hammered out a dominating 100-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday 23 November at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Danny Granger had another outstanding night as the 27-year-old forward scored 24 points on 7-for-17 shooting to go with five rebounds for the Pacers, who stunned the star-studded Miami Heat,
93-77, on Monday 22 November on the road.
“This had to be a big win for us because we came off of a good road game,” said Granger, who racked up 27 points and 11 rebounds against Miami. “And it means nothing if you come back and
lose.”
Darren Collison had an all-around performance as the second-year point guard finished with 18 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. Brandon Rush, who also had a big night against the Heat
on Monday, netted 16 points, helping the Pacers improve their record to seven wins and six losses.
“We definitely carried it over from last night,” said Rush, who shot 7-for-10 from the field. “It was definitely big. It was definitely important for us not to let that win get over our heads.
We didn't want to lay an egg.”
Indiana picked off from where they left off on Monday night they quickly raced to an early lead, ending the first quarter with a 24-16 advantage. They continued to cruise in the second quarter,
behind Collison’s 13 first-half points, and they ended the half with a huge 62-37 half-time lead.
Indiana, who shot 12-for-27 from beyond-the-arc, never looked back in the second half, behind their impressive defence. The Pacers led by as much as 34 points, 81-47, in the 2:40 mark of
the third period en route to their second-straight convincing victory.
“We're very together defensively,” said Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien, whose team limited their last four opponents below 100 points. “That's a nice position when your players are talking
about the defensive side of the game. They want to be there for each other. That's a very positive sign early in the season.”
Ramon Sessions and Daniel Gibson had 15 points apiece for the Cavaliers, while Antawn Jamison scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but their efforts were not enough as Cleveland dropped
their third-straight game.
“We have to understand that we have to come out with a sense of urgency and do that for 48 minutes,” Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. “This isn't even close to rock bottom. It is a
good test for us. This team and this franchise have not had to play through adversity in the last seven years.”
Cleveland, who dropped their record to 5-8, will try to end their three-game losing skid when they go up against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday 24 November.
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