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Pacers remain unbeaten, down Cavs in OT

Dec 31, 2011 - 4:51 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - After a great dribble move in the lane, top draft pick Kyrie Irving blew a wide open layup at the end of regulation.

The Cavaliers certainly had their chances to beat Indiana, but behind 22 points from Danny Granger, the Pacers held on for a 98-91 overtime win Friday night.

Granger scored nine of his points in the extra session, after Irving had a great chance to pull out the win for the visitors.

David West, who had 14 points, sank a one-handed shot from the left side of the lane with 4.4 seconds left to tie the game at 84. Irving then blew past Roy Hibbert at the top of the lane and avoided a leaping Granger near the bucket, but the left-handed attempt rolled off the rim.

"Coach (Byron) Scott called a great play," Irving said. "It was a screen and roll. I got a great look at it. I just wish it would have went down, but it didn't."

Granger then took over in OT, as the Pacers moved to 3-0 on the season and beat the Cavaliers for a sixth straight time.

Hibbert ended with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and George Hill scored 15 for the Pacers.

Irving scored 20, while Anderson Varejao ended with 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavs.

Anthony Parker's three from the corner boosted the Cavs to a one-point lead, but the Pacers netted the next seven of the overtime. West's floating jumper gave the Pacers the lead, and after Irving missed a jumper, Granger's layup provided a three-point margin. Granger then nailed a three-pointer, and it was at least a two-possession game the rest of the way.

"We feel good about our ability to score late in games, but we obviously need to work on execution," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I thought Roy Hibbert and David West late in the game and George Hill throughout the game were our best players."

Irving had eight points in the first quarter, helping the Cavs to a 24-22 edge after 12 minutes. Cleveland led by as many as eight in the period, in which the Pacers committed seven turnovers.

A pull-up jumper by Antawn Jamison increased Cleveland's advantage to 38-30 midway through the second, but the visitors' lead stood only at 47-45 at the half.

Indiana didn't lead the entire first half, but went ahead thanks to scoring 10 in a row early in the third quarter. Darren Collison's follow layup gave the hosts a 55-49 advantage with 9:02 left in the period.

The game continued to get physical, and with 6:31 left in the third West was hit with a flagrant foul for pulling down Varejao by the shoulder.

The free throw from Varejao and another from Irving had the margin at two points, but the Pacers netted the following nine points. Collison's layup capped the burst, and the Pacers held a 70-61 cushion going to the fourth.

Cleveland was its own worst enemy in the third, going 4-of-18 from the field.

Game Notes

West also had 10 rebounds, while teammate Tyler Hansbrough ended with 11 points and 12 boards...Both teams shot under 40 percent and combined to go 7- for-35 from three-point range...Indiana held a 60-49 rebounding advantage.