Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Danny Granger scored a team-high 22
points and grabbed six rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers earned an easy 102-86
win over the Washington Wizards at Conseco Fieldhouse.
T.J. Ford added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Roy Hibbert ended with 12
points and 11 boards for the Pacers, who claimed a 101-89 victory against the
New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Indiana has won two in
a row after losing its first three to start the season.
First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points
and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product
suffered a right shin injury early in training camp after being taken with the
13th overall selection in this year's draft. Dahntay Jones chipped in with 18
points.
Caron Butler had a game-best 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Brendan Haywood
grabbed 19 boards to go along with nine points for Washington, which has
dropped three straight and four of six to begin the 2009-10 campaign. Randy
Foye and Gilbert Arenas netted 16 and 13 points, respectively.
"We just couldn't get it together," Arenas said. "Couldn't get a run on
offense and couldn't get stops on defense.
Indiana led 23-19 after the first 12 minutes, then outscored the Wizards 16-7
in the early stages of the second with Granger accounting for six of the
points to grab at 39-26 advantage near the 7 1/2 minute mark. Hansbrough added
four during the burst for his first NBA points.
The Pacers maintained the double-digit lead for the majority of the period and
led 53-41 heading into the break.
Butler's three-pointer at the midway point of the third cut the Washington
deficit to single digits at 64-56, but the Pacers would quickly respond. A
driving layup from Granger followed by a Hansbrough make and a pair free
throws ignited a 12-2 Indiana run. The Pacers would have a comfortable
82-65 cushion after three quarters.
Indiana's lead ballooned to as many as 22 points in the final period on the
way to the 102-86 final score.
"We didn't shoot particularly well from the field," Granger said. "We relied
on our defense. We blocked some shots, got some steals, found the open man and
got the win."