Granger’s Double-Double Boosts Pacers Past Warriors 108-94

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap

For the past four games, Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger has been in a bit of a shooting funk, making only 35% of his shot attempts; that would change dramatically as during Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. As most of you who follow Golden State know already, defense isn’t exactly their strong suit – which falls right into Indiana’s hands. While neither team shot very well (Golden State at 40.2% and Indiana at 44.7%), the same couldn’t be said for Granger; he torched the Warriors for 31 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, leading Indiana to the easy 108-94 win over Golden State at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Granger helped the Pacers take an 18-8 lead on a jumper with 7:09 left; a running jumper by the Warriors’ Anthony Randolph narrowed the gap to 22-20 but Earl Watson drained a three-pointer followed by a pair of free throws with 1:36 remaining in the period, giving Indiana a 27-22 edge; he would drain a trey at the buzzer, allowing the Pacers to take a 32-28 lead into the second quarter. Indiana would pick things up markedly in the period as a layup by Granger elevated the Pacers to a double-digit cushion at 57-47; a 9-0 run, capped by a Granger jumper, helped Indiana go into halftime with a 64-47 lead.

The third quarter was fairly close although Indiana built their lead up to 20 on an Earl Watson jumper with 4:16 left in the frame; Stephen Jackson would hit a three-pointer with 44 seconds remaining, allowing Golden State to narrow their deficit to 14 at 84-70 going into the final period. Both teams would score 24 points each during the final 15 minutes, sealing the victory for Indiana.

Granger led all Pacers scorers with a game-high 32 points with a career-high 16 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and 2 blocks while Roy Hibbert and Watson each scored 16 – with Hibbert grabbing 9 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists and blocking 2 shots while Watson drained three 3-pointers while grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists with 3 steals.

Golden State was led by Corey Maggette who came off the bench to score 21 points along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal while Randolph added 17 with 13 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks; Monta Ellis chipped in 16 with 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Indiana (3-3) plays again on Saturday when they host the Boston Celtics while Golden State (2-5) plays again on Friday when they host the New York Knicks.

Updates, Fresh From the Oven, Straight to Your Inbox