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Granger leads Pacers over Cavaliers

Nov 24, 2010 - 3:43 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Danny Granger finished with a game-high 24 points and Darren Collison added 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers earned an easy 100-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Brandon Rush netted 16 points off the bench for the Pacers, who shot 43.8 percent from the field and made 12 three-pointers.

Mike Dunleavy had 10 points and six boards for Indiana, which recorded a 93-77 victory at Miami on Monday and has won three of its last four.

"This had to be a big win for us because we came off a good road game. And it means nothing if you come back and lose," Granger said. "The crowd was behind us, very supportive, very loud. I feel defense was a big key for us."

Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions each ended with 15 points for Cleveland, which has dropped three straight and five of its last six contests. Antawn Jamison had a double-double of 12 points and 10 boards in defeat.

"We have to understand that we have to come out with a sense of urgency and do that for 48 minutes," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. "This isn't even close to rock bottom. It's a good test for us."

Rush threw in a one-handed runner from well beyond the three-point arc just before the first quarter buzzer sounded to give the Pacers a 24-16 lead after the opening 12 minutes.

Indiana then exploded for a 17-3 run in the early stages of the second half and grabbed a 41-23 advantage after Collison's three-point play with 6:55 left before halftime.

James Posey hit a three and Granger made two at the stripe in the closing seconds to put the Pacers up by a commanding 62-37 score heading into the intermission.

It wasn't to be for the Cavaliers, as Dunleavy's trey and Rush's reverse layup put the hosts up by a healthy 32-point advantage, at 77-45, with 5:12 left in the third.

It was 83-56 after three quarters and Indiana never relinquished its double- digit lead in the fourth despite emptying the bench in favor of the deep reserves.

Game Notes

Indiana improved to 2-0 against Cleveland this season, but the Cavaliers have still won 17 of the last 24 meetings between the two teams...Cleveland, which got 11 points from Joey Graham, made 42.2 percent of its shots and finished 3- of-7 from three-point range.