November 9th, 2008 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
It is not clear what Indiana Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said to his team at halftime of their game against the New Jersey Nets Saturday night, but apparently it was effective as they held the Nets to only eight baskets during the second half; as a result Indiana cruised to an easy 98-80 win over New Jersey at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Neither team stood out, shooting-wise during the first half as the Nets went into halftime with a slim 51-49 lead; Indiana was ahead early in the third period 53-51 when the Pacers rebounded an ill-advised shot by New Jersey’s Josh Boone and Troy Murphy converted a three-point play, as a result, giving Indiana a 59-51 advantage. New Jersey finally scored at the 7:40 mark of the third quarter but then Indiana would take control as a 3-pointer by Marquis Daniels increased the Pacers’ lead to 66-55 halfway through the period.
The Pacers began the fourth quarter with an 8-1 run, with all of the points scored by Danny Granger, to extend their lead to 82-67 – a lead Indiana would not relinquish. Indiana had 6 players score in double-digits, led by Granger with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a blocked shot while Murphy added 17 (including 4 treys) with 10 rebounds, an assist and a steal; Jeff Foster recorded a double-double, scoring 12 with 13 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a blocked shot. T.J. Ford nearly had a triple-double a she scored 13 with 9 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal.
New Jersey was led by Vince Carter with a game-high 31 points (including three 3-pointers), along with 2 rebounds and 3 assists while Keyon Dooling, subbing for injured starter Devin Harris, added 17 with a rebound and 4 assists. Indiana (2-3) plays again on Monday as they will host the Oklahoma City Thunder while New Jersey (2-3) returns home to host the Miami Heat – also on Monday night.
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