Indiana Pacers cruise past Los Angeles Clippers
The Indiana Pacers bagged their fifth win of the season when they scored a dominating 107-80 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday 18 November at the Conseco Fieldhouse
in Indianapolis.
Danny Granger led the Pacers’ scoring parade with his 22 points on 4-for-6 shooting from beyond-the-arc, and also stepped up on defence, limiting Eric Gordon's production after the first
period.
“One of his goals should be first or second all-defensive team,” said Pacers head coach Jim O’Brien of Granger. “He's capable of it. That is a big, big factor for us. He's becoming a complete
player for us because he knows how important he is to us defensively.”
Gordon came out firing in opening period, leading the Clippers to a 7-0 start, and he finished the quarter with 11 points. However, Granger clamped down on him in the second period and Gordon
struggled to find his rhythm, although he managed to finish with 19 points on 5-for-17 shooting from the field.
“We kept him to a bad shooting night and that was our goal,” said Granger on defending Gordon. “He was a big part of them being successful, so we had to take care of it.”
Roy Hibbert also had a share of the spotlight as he finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds, while A.J Price and Brandon Rush chipped in 14 points apiece for the Pacers, who improved
their record to 5-5.
Hibbert took over for the Pacers in the second period as he scored 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting, helping the Pacers grab a 53-43 halftime lead.
“I got the feeling that nobody could stop me down there,” Hibbert said, who shot 9-for-13 from the field and had three blocks. “I just wanted to get to the front of the paint and just get
as big as possible and do some damage down there.”
Leading by 10 points heading into the second half, the Pacers continued to dominate in the second half and led by as much as 29 points en route to a dominating victory.
Blake Griffin and Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 12 points and eight rebounds apiece, while Eric Bledsoe racked up eight points, eight rebounds, and five assists for the Clippers, who shot
33.3 per cent from the field that led to their 12th loss in their first 13 games this season.
“Something's got to change,” said Griffin, who shot 6-for-13 from the field. “We have to keep working, but we can't just keep working and keep losing. A lot of times, it is not even the physical
stuff. It comes down to who wants it more. We need to find that.”
The Clippers, who played without their top two point guards Baron Davis and Randy Foye, will try to end their eight-game losing skid when they take on the New York Knicks on Saturday 20 November
at the Staples Center.
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