Wizards 89 - 93 Pacers
Final
  for this game

Granger, Pacers get past Wizards

Mar 30, 2012 - 3:11 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Danny Granger scored 25 points as the Pacers grinded out a 93-89 win over the Wizards on Thursday.

David West and George Hill contributed 14 points apiece for Indiana, which has won three of four and added another 1/2 game to its lead over idle Atlanta in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. The teams are tied in wins but the Hawks (30-22) have two more losses.

It was a bounce-back game of sorts for the Pacers, currently seeded fifth in the East, after a flat performance in a loss to lowly New Jersey on Wednesday.

"Last night's game kind of stuck with us but we knew that we had to move on and put that game behind us," said Granger. "We've got to be more consistent night in and night out and continue to play hard. Every game is important."

Jordan Crawford paced the visitors with 20 points and Nene tallied 16 with 13 rebounds for Washington, which has dropped five in a row.

Indiana created some separation midway through the fourth with 7-2 run fueled by Granger and Roy Hibbert.

After the Wizards' Cartier Martin turned a steal off Paul George into a dunk that tied the game at 80, Hibbert began the spurt with a hook shot in the paint. Granger knocked down a turnaround jumper a bit later before feeding Hibbert for a three-point play that made it 87-82.

But Crawford answered with a three-pointer at the 2:03 mark. Both teams missed shots until, with 21.2 seconds to play, Washington was forced to foul.

Crawford and Hibbert each hit a pair from the line, and although Nene followed Crawford's quick basket with a quick dunk, Darren Collison drained another two from the stripe with six ticks on the clock to seal the victory for Indiana.

"They got a lead and they just kept it the rest of the quarter," said Wizards guard John Wall. "We were fighting, but we couldn't find a way to get back in front."

Behind 18 points from Granger, the Pacers took a 52-49 lead into halftime.

Game Notes

Wizards forward Trevor Booker returned to the starting lineup after missing Monday's game against Detroit with a sore right knee...Hibbert finished with nine points...Martin and Wall finished with 10 and 13 points, respectively, for Washington...Indiana has won eight in a row at home against Washington and five straight versus the Wizards overall.






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