Indiana Pacers scrape past the Charlotte Bobcats 100-92
The Indiana Pacers put in another solid effort and trounced the visiting Charlotte Bobcats, 100-92 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Game Stats
Six Pacers players scored in double figures, including a team-high 18 off the bench from Danny Granger and Brandon Rush continued to produce off the bench with 16 points. Mike Dunleavy had 15 and Roy Hibbert contributed 13 points,
14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks for the Pacers. Josh McRoberts scored 11 points and Darren Collison added 10 points and seven assists.
Granger said, "That's what we want," "It needs to be a team effort and a team wins. When we have consistency from guys like that, it's going to be hard to beat us."
Gerald Wallace had 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bobcats in the defeat. Stephen Jackson had 15 points and eight assists. Nazr Mohammed posted 13 points and five blocks, and Kwame Brown scored a season-high 12 rebounds for
Charlotte.
Game Story
It was ugly, but an eight-point win is exactly what the Indiana Pacers needed.
"It was kind of an ugly game. We grinded it out. We didn't shoot particularly well, but we made it happen.” -- Pacers' Danny Granger
Jackson of Charlotte started the game hot and kept the Bobcats close early with 12 first-quarter points on 6 for 9 shooting from the field. Later on, his pace stayed and he shot just 1 for 8. "I got cold in the second half," "I
couldn't hit a shot," Jackson said.
Both teams started with almost the same kind of strategy, playing the available shots around the court, but Indiana managed to make it to the free throw line early, to help build a quick lead.
In the first quarter, the Pacers played sloppy basketball, but slowly began to build their lead, taking a 30-22 lead into the second.
In the second quarter, Indiana got it going offensively, and finally they built up a 7-point lead at the half, 57-50.
Charlotte made a push early in the third quarter, with a tip-in by Wallace that cut the Bobcats’ lead to 66-64.
The Pacers expanded their lead to double digits for the first time in the game, when Solomon Jones scored on a put back with 38 seconds left in the period. Indiana led with 79-69 heading into the fourth.
Rush played the role of backbone at the Pacer’s end and continued to be the main reason for the Pacers' progression this season. He helped the Pacers take control of the game's speed in the first three quarters. He scored all of
his 16 points in the first three quarters and shot 6 for 10 from the field.
Charlotte came up with variation in their strategy to make a comeback in the game in the final phase. They controlled every aspect of the fourth quarter, limiting turnovers, making shots in the final quarter, and playing tenacious
defense. A steal and dunk by Shaun Livingston cut Indiana's lead to 87-83. However, the Pacers with a bull’s eye on their rivals responded with a 6-0 run and extended their lead further.
Holding Charlotte to 38 percent shooting in the second half, the Indiana Pacers stamped their 11th victory of the season, 100-92.
Gripping Figures of the Game
By winning this, the Pacers are now 6-5 and have won three of four home games played.
Pacers Point guard, Darren Collison tied a season high with seven assists.
Bobcats center Kwame Brown had 12 rebounds, a season first where he has had more than 10 in a game.
In his last five games Pacer’s Brandon Rush is averaging 16.6 points.
Unsung Star
The sixth man for the Bobcats, Tyrus Thomas missed the game after sustaining a left quadriceps injury in a match against the Denver Nuggets in the last game.
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