Daniels’ 26 Leads Pacers To Shellacking Of 76ers 102-85

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger, left, puts up a shot while being defended by Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert (1) during the fourth quarter of their game, played Wednesday night. Indiana defeated Philadelphia 102-85.

The good news is that the Philadelphia 76ers outrebounded the Indiana Pacers 55-39. The bad news is that the Sixers shot 35% from the floor. The Pacers, minus point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who is out with a thigh bruise, had a more than adequate replacement in Marquis Daniels. Although Daniels didn’t start, he logged 32 minutes and led the Pacers to an impressive 102-85 win over the 76ers at Conseco Fieldhouse Wednesday night.

The game was relatively close during the first half, with Indiana holding a slim 50-47 lead at halftime. The Pacers would continue to hold onto the lead early in the third quarter 66-62; however, they would go on a 10-1 run, which included 3-pointers by Mike Dunleavy and Kareem Rush, to take a 76-63 edge late in the period. Daniels scored 10 points in the quarter to help Indiana end the quarter with an 81-67 lead; the Pacers, for the rest of the contest, would hold a double-digit lead.

Indiana, with 5 players in double-digits, was led by Daniels with 26 points, including three 3-pointers; Dunleavy and Jermaine O’Neal scored 19 each, with O’Neal also grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists. Philadelphia was led by Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala with 16 points each; Iguodala also snared 5 boards and dished out 5 assists. Samuel Dalembert added 15, with 14 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. Indiana (14-12) traveks north to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night, while Philadelphia (10-15) returns home to host the Los Angeles Lakers - also on Friday.