Recap: Indiana Pacers defeat Los Angeles Clippers with 27 points lead, 107 - 80
Danny Granger led the Pacers with 22 points, 5 assists and 7 rebounds and pulled away for a 107-80 victory over the struggling Clippers in front of 12,459 fans at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis on Friday. The Clippers started the game with a burst of energy that the Pacers weren’t ready to match but later own they took charge of the court and smashed the Clippers in an implausible manner.
Prominent players
Points were scored in double digits by six of the Pacer’s players. Beside the stunning 22 points by Granger, Roy Hibbert scored 18 points and 14 points were added by the combined efforts of Brandon Rush and A.J. Price.
Eric Gordon headed the Clippers with 19 points, while Al-Farouq Aminu and Blake Griffin contributed 12 points and 8 rebounds each.
Game Story
The Clippers start was quiet energetic, the way they headed the first quarter of the game was none other than a ray of hope for them but the Clippers are still a fresh side and without Baron Davis and Chris Kaman, and only led 25-22 after the first quarter. Soon enough though the Pacers depth and experience finally pushed back at the young Clippers and there was little response to it. The Clippers were playing their third game in four days, possibly the fatigue of such back-to-back playing bringing down their overall game.
The rest of the three quarters of play were fantastically played by the Pacers, outscoring the Clippers 58-34 in the second and third quarters.
Hibbert dominated the second quarter, but Price's play added balance that helped Indiana take control. Price finished 6 for 10 from the field and had 14 points with six assists.
The defense at the Pacers end was just startling. The active defensive effort from the Pacers was too much for the Clippers to handle as Danny Granger eventually covered up Eric Gordon. The Pacers also blocked 14 shots including 5 from Brandon Rush and 3 by Roy Hibbert.
The final quarter of the game was played incredibly around the court pulling the team towards victory.
Notable
The Pacers shot 53.8 percent from 3-point range on 14 for 26 shooting and had 24 assists to just 10 for the Clippers. The Clippers are now 0-7 on the road this season and the Pacers center Jeff Foster made his first appearance of the season.
Poor Performance
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan played quite causally, the way he missed all seven field goals he attempted in the first half was excruciating for already dropping the Clippers.
Absentee player
Pacers swingman Mike Dunleavy missed the game to attend the birth of his daughter. Isn’t he a great father!
Quotable
Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said, "We really got after them defensively after the first quarter. The last three quarters, we did an outstanding job. We played a tired basketball team on a back-to-back night. I'm very pleased with the effort."
"It gets tough to keep losing. We seem to be making the same mistakes. We've got to continue to try to figure it out" said Clippers' Eric Gordon.
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