Apr

1

Granger, Ford Combine For 53; Pacers Edge Bulls 107-105

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap 

Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger

There’s very little time left for the Indiana Pacers to try and gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff chase as there’s roughly 7 games or so to make this happen.  Nonetheless, they had a game to play Tuesday when they hosted the Chicago Bulls at Conseco Fieldhouse.  Both teams shot well (Chicago at 52.9% while Indiana shot 50%), yet T.J. Ford’s jumper with 3.9 seconds left helped the Pacers edge the Bulls 107-105.

Chicago held a 53-50 lead at halftime but Indiana opened the third quarter with a spurt which included a 3-pointer and dunk by Troy Murphy to take a 59-54 lead with just over 8 minutes left in the period; however, the Bulls rallied as consecutive 3-pointers by Tim Thomas and Kirk Hinrich gave them a 69-63 lead.  A dunk by Indiana’s Josh McRoberts in the final second of the third quarter reduced the Bulls’ advantage to 79-76.

A dunk and layup by Tyrus Thomas gave Chicago a 85-78 cushion but Indiana rallied as a trey by Granger trimmed the Bulls’ lead to 87-85; after a timeout, the Bulls recovered with a 12-6 run to take a 99-91 lead.  Chicago had a 103-100 lead, but would not score on its next three possessions; Granger scored on a putback to make it 103-102. 

Granger would hit a trey with 43 ticks left on the game clock to give the Pacers the lead.  But Ben Gordon would hit a jumper to tie the score with 38 seconds remaining; Ford would hit the game-winner with 3.9 seconds remaining with a jumper over Derrick Rose.

Six Indiana players scored in double-digits, led by Granger with 31 points (including four 3-pointers), 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block while Ford added 22 with 4 rebounds, 9 assists, a steal and 2 blocks; Murphy recorded a double-double as he scored 15 with 12 boards, 2 assists and a steal.

Chicago had three players who scored 20+ points, led by Rose with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists while Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas added 20 each – with Hinrich grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists along with 2 steals while Thomas grabbed a rebound along with 2 steals and 2 blocks.  Indiana (32-43) plays again on Friday when they host the San Antonio Spurs while Chicago (36-40) returns home to host the New Jersey Nets on Saturday.


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