Two of the teams that I cover on a somewhat regular basis, the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, hooked up at Conseco Fieldhouse on Saturday night as both teams are struggling to find their identity.  Both teams shot well (Sacramento at 47.1% while Indiana shot 50%); but despite Kevin Martin’s 45 points, Danny Granger made baskets when it counted – specifically his 13 fourth-quarter points – as Indiana just got past Sacramento 122-117.

Both teams shot very well in the first half, reminiscent of the ABA days when defense was an afterthought as the Kings outscored the Pacers 37-33 in the first quarter while Indiana outscored Sacramento 35-30, with the Pacers taking a slim one-point lead into their locker room at halftime.  Fast-forwarding to the fourth quarter, the Kings took a 113-107 lead with 4:15 left in the game on a 3-pointer by Martin – his seventh trey of the game – but the Pacers came back, courtesy of a 3-point play by T.J. Ford, making it 113-110.

Granger made a jumper then Daniels hit a floater in traffic, giving Indiana a 114-113 lead with just under 2 minutes to play; Sacramento regained the lead at 117-116 when Martin made a 20-footer, but Indiana regained the lead when Ford hit a jumper with a minute remaining.  The Kings’ Bobby Jackson missed a 3-point attempt and the Pacers rebounded; they worked the clock and Granger was fouled.  He made a pair of free throws with 14.2 seconds left to go, sealing the game for the Pacers.

Indiana’s high scorer was Granger with 35 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots while Ford added 16 with a rebound, 7 assists, a steal and a blocked shot; Troy Murphy recorded a double-double as he scored 12 with 13 rebounds, an assist and a steal.  Sacramento was led by Martin with a season-high 45 points (including 7 – yes, 7!! – three-pointers), 2 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal while Jackson from off the bench added 15 with 10 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a blocked shot.  Indiana (12-21) plays again on Monday when they travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets while Sacramento (8-26) flies east to New Jersey to face the Nets – also on Monday.