NBA Playoffs 2012: Indiana Pacers win Game 5 against Orlando Magic 105-87, advance to second round
Danny Granger scored a team high 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Orlando Magic 105-87 in Game 5 here at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, clinching the series 4-1 along the way to advance into the second round of the playoffs.
Four other players made commodious contributions in the game by crossing the double digit mark to lend a helping hand to the Pacers cause. David West scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while Roy Hibbert
managed to get 11 points and 7 boards.
George Hill recorded 15 points on a 5-of-11 shooting night and Darren Collison came off the bench with a scorching display of 9-from-10 to rack up 19 points in the ball game.
Jameer Nelson tried his best to carry the Magic with 27 points on the night where as Glen Davis contributed with 15 points and 8 rebounds behind him. Ryan Anderson managed to get 14 points which included 4 triples
while J.J. Redick came off the bench to add 12 points.
There was not much to separate the two sides in the opening three minutes of the game as the scores were tied up at 7. From the point on, Pacers managed to put together a 9-0 run to get their noses ahead in the
contest.
This offensive surge from the Pacers continued on till there were just about 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter and was prolonged into a 19-4 spurt, giving them a chance to set a dominant tone to the matchup.
Even though, the Magic tried to cut back on the lead with a 8-2 burst, however by the end of the period, Indiana`s advantage remained ample with the score of 28-19.
In the early stages of the second quarter, Magic were able to add 12 points to their tally while allowing the Pacers to register 7 points to turn this one into a two possession game, 31-35. The home side put
an end to their lack of productivity on the offensive end with a 10-3 burst, capped off by two long range bombs from Granger.
But the Magic spirit was not to be crumpled, fighting for their lives in the post season, they valiantly put together a 13-3 run to cut the lead down to 1, 47-48, but the Pacers were able to make the score 50-47
at the half way stage, courtesy of a hook shot from Hibbert.
The early stages of the second half saw the Magic take the lead with 4 quick points but the Pacers answered back with a 7-0 run to snatch back the advantage. Throughout the remaining part of the third quarter,
the action remained end to end and with only 11.3 seconds remaining, courtesy of a Nelson three, Magic went into the fourth quarter with the score line being 71-69.
Collison carried the Pacers charge in the final quarter, helping them put together a 9-1 run to start with and even though Magic were able to stay close at 80-83 till the 7:49 mark, Indiana`s offensive prowess
proved to be too much to handle.
From that point on, they put together a 22-5 hammering, capped off with another long range dagger from Granger at the 29.3 second mark to hold an insurmountable lead in the closing stages.
Magic only added 2 more points after that and said goodbye to their season where as the Pacers now await the winner of the Miami Heat v/s New York series in the second round.
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