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McRoberts pushes Pacers past struggling Charlotte

Feb 10, 2011 - 5:14 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Josh McRoberts's tip-in with 1:21 remaining proved to be the difference, as the Indiana Pacers held off the Charlotte Bobcats, 104-103, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

McRoberts ended with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Pacers, who have won five of six. Roy Hibbert chipped in with 29 points and 10 boards.

Danny Granger tallied 25 points for Indiana, which also got 15 points from Darren Collison.

"A great effort by our basketball team after getting in late and playing an emotional game in Miami," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

Stephen Jackson finished with 27 points for the Bobcats, who have dropped five of seven. Gerald Wallace donated 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the loss.

Trailing 93-83 with 6 1/2 minutes to play, Charlotte ripped off eight straight points to make things interesting. Eduardo Najera bookended the surge with a trey and three-point play to cut the gap to 93-91 with 5:16 remaining.

Hibbert stopped the bleeding with a three-point play and added two free throws over a minute later to make it a 100-93 contest with 3:47 left.

With the margin the same moments later, the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. Jackson made a three-pointer and jumper around a Wallace layup to make it 102-102 with 1:37 to go.

Hibbert missed a layup but McRoberts was there for the tip-in to give Indiana a 104-102 edge with 1:21 left.

Wallace made 1-of-2 from the line to make it a one-point game with 29 seconds remaining.

Collison missed a nine-foot jumper with 7.9 ticks left. Wallace pulled down the defensive rebound and gave the ball to Jackson, who decided not to call a timeout. Instead, Jackson tried to draw a foul on a shot from well beyond the arc. Collison got credited with a block as time expired.

"The referee had the right to make a call. It's a judgment call. He said it wasn't a foul so you have to go with it," Bobcats coach Paul Silas said.

The Bobcats scored the first eight points of the game, but the Pacers responded with an 11-2 run to go in front. The Pacers held a 29-28 edge after 12 minutes.

A.J. Price scored Indiana's first six points of the second period to make it a 35-30 game. Layups from Tyler Hansbrough and Granger gave the Pacers a 43-35 margin with 7:38 to go.

The home team led by as many as 11 in the frame and took a 58-48 lead into the locker room.

A back-and-forth third quarter resulted in the Pacers taking an 81-70 lead into the fourth.

Game Notes

The Pacers have won five straight against Charlotte, including three meetings this season...Bobcats center Kwame Brown missed the game due to a death in his family...D.J. Augustin had 14 points in defeat....Jackson went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.