The AP reports: Josh Smith scored 30 points and Joe Johnson had 24 to help the Hawks clinch the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with a 122-118 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. Al Horford finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Hawks earned home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta needed either a win or a loss by Miami, which fell by seven in Boston, to wrap up the No. 4 spot… Danny Granger had 35 points to lead the Pacers in scoring for the eighth straight game. Jarrett Jack, who finished with 17, matched Indiana’s biggest lead at seven midway through the third, but the Hawks never trailed after Johnson hit two free throws to make it 76-74 with 4:04 left in the quarter.
Category: Indiana Pacers Blog
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Jack shines, Pacers beat Raptors 130-101
The AP reports: Indiana Pacers fans headed for the exits early Wednesday night. For once, it was because their team was on the right side of a blowout. Danny Granger scored 29 points, and the Pacers had their highest point total and margin of victory this season to beat the Toronto Raptors 130-101… Jarrett Jack added 23 points, Roy Hibbert had 17, and Troy Murphy finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Josh McRoberts had his first career double-double with career highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes… Chris Bosh had 21 points and nine rebounds in Toronto’s third straight loss. Andrea Bargnani did not play because of a sore left heel. Patrick O’Bryant got his first career start in Bargnani’s place and finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Granger scores 24, Pacers beat Thunder 117-99
The AP reports: Danny Granger scored 24 points, Troy Murphy added 22 points and nine rebounds, and the Pacers kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 117-99 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night… Roy Hibbert added 17 points, Jarrett Jack scored 14 and Brandon Rush had 13 points for the Pacers as all five starters reached double figures. T.J. Ford also had 12 points off the bench… Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 25 points and Nick Collison scored 15. Rookie D.J. White added 14 points in his NBA debut after missing the first five months of the season following jaw surgery.
Parker leads Spurs in 126-121 win over Pacers
The AP reports: The San Antonio Spurs played their worst defensive quarter of the season in the final 12 minutes against the Indiana Pacers. Fortunately, for the Spurs, the Pacers played poor defense the entire game. Indiana scored 40 points and shot 70 percent in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs beat the Pacers 126-121 on Friday night. The Spurs were happy to win, but shocked by their late defensive collapse… Tony Parker had 31 points and 10 assists, Duncan had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Finley scored 18 points and Drew Gooden added 17 for the Spurs, who now trail Denver by half a game in the scramble for the No. 2 seed in the West… Danny Granger scored 35 points for the Pacers, his fourth straight game with at least 30 points. Jarrett Jack scored 22 points, and Troy Murphy added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who fell four games behind Chicago for the No. 8 spot in the East.
Big Ford game, Pacers beat Bulls 107-105
The AP reports: T.J. Ford’s shot with 3.9 seconds left gave the Pacers a 107-105 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night to tighten the race for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. All-Star Danny Granger, who scored 31 points, had built a reputation this season for making clutch shots. Despite that, the Pacers knew they were going to their point guard… Ford finished with 22 points and nine assists as a reserve… Troy Murphy had 15 points and 12 rebounds after missing the previous three games with a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Derrick Rose had 24 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, Kirk Hinrich had 20 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, and Tyrus Thomas added 20 points for the Bulls.
Granger scores 31, Pacers beat Wizards 124-115
The AP reports: Brandon Rush is finally giving Indiana more than one consistent scoring option. Starting his third straight game, the Pacers rookie continued his late-season tear with 29 points and 10 rebounds Sunday night in a 124-115 victory over the Washington Wizards… Danny Granger finished with 31 points for the Pacers… Jarrett Jack added 19 points for the Pacers. Washington was led by Caron Butler with 31 points and 13 rebounds and Antawn Jamison with 29 points. Javaris Crittenton added a season-high 19 points for the Wizards… As expected, the Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas did not play… Indiana’s Troy Murphy, who sprained a knee ligament in a shootaround on Wednesday, also did not play for the third straight game.
Salmons lifts Bulls over Pacers, 112-106
The AP reports: John Salmons scored 22 points and hit two late 3-pointers, and the Chicago Bulls pulled out a wild 112-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday for their fourth straight win… Ben Gordon added 25 points as the Bulls matched their longest win streak in two years with a victory that featured some dramatic swings… Danny Granger scored 32 and Brandon Rush added a career-high 29, but the Pacers suffered their sixth loss in eight games… The Bulls didn’t have to contend with Troy Murphy, who missed his second game because of a sprained ligament in his left knee. They did, however, have to deal with Rush and Granger.
NBA rule change on too many players on court
The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a playing rules change in regards to “too many players on the court”, which will take effect beginning Friday, March 27.
Under the playing rules change, when a “too many players on the court” violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team and the non-offending team will have the option of either accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.
Option 1 — Accept Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to ACCEPT all play that occurred during the violation, including any points scored, with no adjustment of the game clock.
Option 2 — Nullify Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to NULLIFY all play that occurred during the violation, other than any acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or flagrant fouls or any points scored from free throws as a result of such actions.
Under this option, following the technical foul, the game clock would be reset to the time when the ball was put into play with too many players on the court and, depending on how the ball was originally put into play, play would resume in accordance with the following:
1) If the original play commenced with a throw-in, then the ball would be returned to the original throw-in spot and play commenced with a throw-in.
2) If the original play commenced with a missed free-throw attempt where the ball remained in play, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at center court between any two players who were on the floor at the time play was suspended due to the violation.
3) If the original play commenced with a jump ball, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at the original jump-ball spot between the same two players who participated in the original jump ball.
Granger leads Pacers past Heat 90-88
The AP reports: The 90-88 victory Wednesday night was Indiana’s 17th straight home win against the Heat, but it wasn’t certain until Wade’s desperation 3-point shot went halfway down and rimmed out at the buzzer. “I thought it was (going in) for a quick second, then I saw he shot it a little to the left and that’s why it rolled out,” said Danny Granger, who led Indiana with 28 points. “Fortunately, he missed it.” … Wade, the NBA scoring leader at almost 30 points a game, had 21 points but was just 5-of-24 from the field, including 2-of-11 in the second half… Haslem finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and O’Neal had 13 points and three blocks but only two rebounds. Ford added 20 points and Jarrett Jack 13 for the Pacers. Jeff Foster, starting in place of injured Troy Murphy, had a season-high 16 rebounds.
Pacers move TJ Ford to bench
The Indianapolis Star (Mike Wells) reports: T.J. Ford has been in this position before. He knows from his experience with the Toronto Raptors that complaining won’t get him far. That’s why the Indiana Pacers point guard is taking the high road after his recent demotion. Pacers coach Jim O’Brien replaced Ford with Jarrett Jack at point guard against Charlotte on Saturday. Ford is taking it in stride, and handling the situation with professionalism. “I know how to handle this situation better than I did in the past,” said Ford, who was involved in a point guard controversy with the Raptors last season. “It’s not a big issue to me. Just do what you’re supposed to do, whether they put you in the game or not. It’s your job to be ready and be prepared for whatever happens. “I’m not a person that asks questions or reasons why certain things happen. He’s the coach and he has the right to make whatever adjustments he wants.”