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TORONTO – The Indiana Pacers learned plenty about what it takes to win close games during last season’s playoff loss to Chicago. Now, with David West on their side, they’ve got another option for those late-game situations.

Danny Granger scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Pacers held on to beat the Raptors 90-85 on Wednesday, spoiling Toronto’s home opener.

Granger hit a key three-pointer with 1:14 left and West followed with a fadeaway jumper to help stave off a Toronto rally. West finished with 14 points.

“We have so many weapons down the stretch,” Granger said. “We have so many options. I think it’s going to be the mark of us being a good team.”

Paul George scored 18 points, and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers improved to 2-0.

Darren Collison became the fifth Pacers starter to reach double figures by making a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds left. He finished with 10 points and 12 assists.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel has told his team to take inspiration from last season’s Chicago series every time they go away from home this year.

“We treat it like a playoff game, quite frankly,” Vogel said.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth and Andrea Bargnani finished with 21 for Toronto.

HEAT 96, BOBCATS 95: In Charlotte, N.C., Dwyane Wade hit a bank shot over Gerald Henderson with 2.9 seconds left to lift Miami. LeBron James scored 35 points and Chris Bosh chipped in with 25.

Henderson led the Bobcats with 21 points, while D.J. Augustin had 20.

HAWKS 101, WIZARDS 83: In Atlanta, Joe Johnson led another balanced attack with 18 points to lead the Hawks. Tracy McGrady had 11 points off the bench to join Atlanta’s five starters in double figures.

Nick Young had 21 points and John Wall added 20 for Washington, which has lost its first two games.

CAVALIERS 105, PISTONS 89: In Auburn Hills, Mich., rookie Kyrie Irving had 14 points and seven assists to help Cleveland spoil Detroit’s first home opener with new owner Tom Gores.

Reserve Samardo Samuels scored 17 and Ramon Sessions had 16 points off the bench for the Cavaliers.

Detroit’s Ben Gordon had 25 points and rookie reserve Brandon Knight scored 23.

HORNETS 97, CELTICS 78: Jarrett Jack had 21 points and nine assists in his regular-season debut as New Orleans dominated in its home opener. Former Purdue standout Carl Landry added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.

The Celtics are 0-3 for the first time since 2006-07.

THUNDER 98, GRIZZLIES 95: In Memphis, Tenn., Kevin Durant scored 32 points and James Harden added 20 as Oklahoma City remained undefeated. Zach Randolph finished with 24 points for Memphis.

SPURS 115, CLIPPERS 90: In San Antonio, Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and DeJuan Blair added 20 to lead the Spurs. Blake Griffin scored 28 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul was held to 3-of-10 shooting and finished with 10 points.

Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

By:

Associated Press

|

NBC4i.com

Published: December 31, 2011
Updated: December 31, 2011 – 1:40 PM

Gotta run!.

By Tom Lewis

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 31, 2011 – The compact 2011-12 NBA schedule begins showing its teeth on Saturday night when the Indiana Pacers (3-0) visit the Detroit Pistons (0-3) at the Palace at Auburn Hills.

Both teams are playing their fourth game in six days after playing a game last night and then traveling to Detroit. The Pistons will look for their first win against the Pacers after remaining winless on the season with a 96-85 to the Boston Celtics on Friday night.

The Pacers remained undefeated after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in overtime on Friday night. Then a post-game flight to Detroit was slowed by fog which didn’t allow the Pacers to arrive at their hotel until 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The Pacers continue to struggle shooting the ball (FG% under 40% in all three wins) but make up for it with a strong, balanced attack and commitment to rebounding.

In the season opener at Indiana, the Pacers dominated the Pistons around the rim with a 53-40 rebound advantage and double-double contributions from Roy Hibbert, David West and Tyler Hansbrough. The Pistons will need to neutralize Indiana’s front court advantage with big games from the back court with Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and rookie Brandon Knight scoring to lead the way.

The game tips off at 6:00 p.m. ET to accommodate your New Year’s Eve plans and will be televised on Fox Sports Indiana.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out Indy Cornrows. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

Read More: David West (F – IND), Ben Gordon (G – DET), Brandon Knight (G – DET), Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons

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INDIANAPOLIS — Another ugly game, another win for the Indiana Pacers.

Danny Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtime, after No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving missed a layup that would have won it at the end of regulation, and Indiana beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91 on Friday night.

Indiana has shot below 40 percent from the field in each game this season, yet is off to a 3-0 start. The Pacers went 0-19 in 2010-11 when shooting under 40 percent, but they have a new identity this season under coach Frank Vogel, a hard-nosed approach that emphasizes defense and rebounding.

Gone are the days when the Pacers flung 3-pointers at will; Indiana made just two against the Cavaliers. The Pacers had three players with double-doubles for points and rebounds for the second time this season: Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, David West had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyler Hansbrough added 11 points and 12 boards.

It’s what Vogel calls “smash mouth basketball.” The Pacers say they are only going to get better.

“When we start shooting over 40 percent, it’s going to look a lot prettier out there, and we won’t have to grind these wins out,” Hibbert said. “Just to be able to do this now is great.”

Part of the reason Indiana has been able to get away with shooting so poorly is the team’s ability to make shots at key moments. Granger shot just 5-of-17 in regulation, but was 3-of-5 in the extra period. On Wednesday against Toronto, Granger made two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after struggling during the game.

“That’s what Danny does,” Hibbert said. “He makes big shots down the stretch, and we follow his lead. David and I try to be defensive anchors, and everything else falls into place.”

George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers.

Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game so far, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation. Irving got by his defender and drove the lane for an open shot, but the ball rimmed out, and the game went to overtime.

“I had a great look at it,” the 19-year-old Irving said. “Wish it would have gone down for me and my teammates to get this win, but it didn’t. We fought hard in overtime. We just didn’t come out with the win.”

The Pacers knew they got away with one.

“Irving is a heck of a player,” Vogel said. “Not ‘going to be,’ but right now. He got by our pick-and-roll defense and got penetration to the basket. Fortunately, he missed.”

Irving said he’d learn from the experience.

“I left it all out there in the floor,” he said. “All you can do is leave it out there, play hard, and go to sleep and get better the next day.”

Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Parker and Antawn Jamison each had 12 for the Cavaliers.

The score was tied late in regulation until West made a pair of free throws with 2:12 left to give the Pacers an 82-80 lead.

Irving made one of two free throws to cut it to 82-81 heading into the final minute.

Parker’s 3 as the shot clock expired gave Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 17.5 seconds left. Indiana, with no timeouts, immediately went into its offense. West almost lost the ball, regained control, drove and dropped in a floater with 4.4 seconds left to tie the score.

Granger took over in the extra period. He hit a layup while closely defended by Alonzo Gee. Jamison’s 3 was blocked by West, then Granger hit a 3 from the left corner to put the Pacers up 93-87, and Indiana maintained its lead from there.

The Pacers led 70-61 at the end of the third quarter. Cleveland made just 4-of-18 shots and committed seven turnovers in the period.

Hill carried the Pacers early in the fourth quarter. He hit a baseline jumper, then converted a three-point play to push Indiana’s lead to 75-64. Cleveland rallied, and a reverse layup by Irving trimmed the Pacers’ lead to 76-72 and forced Indiana to call timeout with 6:40 remaining. The game remained close the rest of the way.

“We took some bad shots, made some bad plays down the stretch, and we added fuel to the fire by giving up layups on the other end and giving Anthony Parker open threes,” Granger said.

Cleveland coach Byron Scott said it was a positive step for his young team.

“We had an opportunity to win the game before the overtime period, but I just loved the way our guys competed, against a team we feel is one of the better teams in the East,” he said. “Our effort was fantastic and something we should be proud of.”

Notes: Indiana foward/center Jeff Foster sat out with a sore lower back. Vogel said he planned to use Foster sparingly early in the season anyway. … Cleveland coach Scott played for the Pacers for two years. … Indiana forward Jeff Pendergraph missed the game with a sore right knee. … The Pacers failed to make a 3 in the first half and Cleveland made just one. .. Cleveland guard Daniel Gibson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ring finger. He returned in the third quarter. … Cleveland’s Samardo Samuels fouled out with 9:25 remaining.

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CBSSports.com wire reports
Dec. 30, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — Another ugly game, another win for the Indiana Pacers.

Danny Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtime, after No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving missed a layup that would have won it at the end of regulation, and Indiana beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91 on Friday night.

Indiana has shot below 40 percent from the field in each game this season, yet is off to a 3-0 start. Indy went 0-19 last season when shooting under 40 percent, but the Pacers have a new identity this season under coach Frank Vogel, a hard-nosed approach that emphasizes defense and rebounding.

Gone are the days when the Pacers flung 3-pointers at will — Indiana made just two against the Cavaliers. Indiana had three players with double-doubles for points and rebounds for the second time this season: Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 13 rebounds, David West had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyler Hansbrough added 11 points and 12 boards.

It’s what Vogel calls “smash mouth basketball.” And the Pacers say they are only going to get better.

“When we start shooting over 40 percent, it’s going to look a lot prettier out there, and we won’t have to grind these wins out,” Hibbert said. “Just to be able to do this now is great.”

Part of the reason Indiana has been able to get away with shooting so poorly is the team’s ability to make shots at key moments. Granger shot just 5 of 17 in regulation, but was 3 of 5 in the extra period. On Wednesday against Toronto, Granger made two big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after struggling throughout the game.

“That’s what Danny does,” Hibbert said. “He makes big shots down the stretch and we follow his lead. David and I try to be defensive anchors, and everything else falls into place.”

George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers.

Irving led Cleveland with 20 points in his best game so far, but missed a layup that would have won the game at the end of regulation. Irving got by his defender and drove the lane for an open shot, but the ball rimmed out, and the game went to overtime.

“I had a great look at it,” the 19-year-old Irving said. “Wish it would have gone down for me and my teammates to get this win, but it didn’t. We fought hard in overtime. We just didn’t come out with the win.”

The Pacers knew they got away with one.

“Irving is a heck of a player,” Vogel said. “Not `going to be,’ but right now. He got by our pick-and-roll defense and got penetration to the basket. Fortunately, he missed.”

Irving said he’d learn from the experience.

“I left it all out there in the floor,” he said. “All you can do is leave it out there, play hard, and go to sleep and get better the next day.”

Anderson Varejao added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Anthony Parker and Antawn Jamison each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers.

The score was tied late in regulation until West made a pair of free throws with 2:12 left to give the Pacers an 82-80 lead.

Irving made one of two free throws to cut it to 82-81 heading into the final minute.

Parker’s 3-pointer as the shot clock expired gave Cleveland an 84-82 lead with 17.5 seconds left. Indiana, with no timeouts, immediately went into its offense. West nearly lost the ball, regained control, drove and dropped in a floater with 4.4 seconds left to tie the score.

Granger took over in the extra period. He hit a layup while closely defended by Alonzo Gee. Jamison’s 3-pointer was blocked by West, then Granger hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Pacers up 93-87, and Indiana maintained its lead from there.

The Pacers led 70-61 at the end of the third quarter. Cleveland made just 4 of 18 shots and committed seven turnovers in the period.

Hill carried the Pacers early in the fourth quarter. He hit a baseline jumper, then converted a three-point play to push Indiana’s lead to 75-64. Cleveland rallied, and a reverse layup by Irving trimmed the Pacers’ lead to 76-72 and forced Indiana to call timeout with 6:40 remaining. The game remained close the rest of the way.

“We took some bad shots, made some bad plays down the stretch, and we added fuel to the fire by giving up layups on the other end and giving Anthony Parker open threes,” Granger said.

Cleveland coach Byron Scott said it was a positive step for his young team.

“We had an opportunity to win the game before the overtime period, but I just loved the way our guys competed, against a team we feel is one of the better teams in the East,” he said. “Our effort was fantastic and something we should be proud of.”

Notes

Indiana F/C Jeff Foster sat out with a sore lower back. Vogel said he planned to use Foster sparingly early in the season anyway. … Cleveland coach Scott played for the Pacers for two years. … Indiana F Jeff Pendergraph missed the game with a sore right knee. … The Pacers failed to make a 3-pointer in the first half and Cleveland made just one. .. Cleveland G Daniel Gibson left the game in the second quarter with a sprained right ring finger. He returned in the third quarter. … Cleveland’s Samardo Samuels fouled out with 9:25 remaining.

That’s all for today.

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TORONTO — The Indiana Pacers learned plenty about what it takes to win close games during last season’s playoff loss to Chicago. Now, with David West on their side, they’ve got another option for those late-game situations.

Danny Granger scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Pacers held on to beat the Raptors 90-85 on Wednesday night, spoiling Toronto’s home opener.

Granger hit a key 3-pointer with 1:14 left and West followed with a fadeaway jumper to help stave off a Toronto rally.

“We have so many weapons down the stretch,” Granger said. “We have so many options. I think it’s going to be the mark of us being a good team.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey said his defense didn’t react quickly enough on either shot.

“Those two plays, with kind of hesitant rotation, really broke our back,” Casey said.

West, who scored 14 points, enjoys getting the ball with the game on the line.

“If there’s a play to be made, I’m just not going to back down from it,” West said. “That’s a situation I want to thrive in.”

Paul George scored 18 points, and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers improved to 2-0.

Darren Collison became the fifth Pacers starter to reach double figures by making a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds left. He finished with 10 points and 12 assists.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel has told his team to think back and take inspiration from last season’s Chicago series every time they go away from home this year.

“We treat it like a playoff game, quite frankly,” Vogel said. “We said in the pregame film session, if we’re going to be .500 or better on the road, we’ve got to come into these buildings and treat them like playoff games.”

Indiana’s road record will be tested early: This was the first game in a stretch that will see the Pacers play 15 of 21 on the road. But George is confident the lessons learned during last year’s postseason appearance will bear fruit.

“That playoff experience has definitely put us in the right mind on how hard we need to play,” he said.

Indiana, which beat Detroit at home on Monday, won for the seventh time in 11 games against Toronto, and snapped a streak of 11 straight victories by the home team in the series.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth and Andrea Bargnani finished with 21 for Toronto.

“(DeRozan) single-handedly got us back in the game offensively,” Casey said.

Jerryd Bayless scored 13 points and Amir Johnson had 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won Monday’s season-opening game at Cleveland.

Indiana led by as many as 14 points in the fourth before Toronto came back. A 3-pointer by DeRozan and three-point play by Jose Calderon cut it to 80-74 with 3:26 left, forcing the Pacers to call timeout.

Granger’s 3-pointer made it 83-75 with 2:19 to play, but Toronto wasn’t done. DeRozan hit a 3 and Bargnani followed with a three-point play, cutting it to 83-81 with 1:35 remaining.

Once again, a long-range shot from Granger gave Indiana some breathing room, with his 3-pointer from the wing pushing it to 86-81 with 1:14 left.

Calderon answered with a layup for Toronto but West’s fadeaway jumper with nine seconds to play restored Indiana’s five-point cushion.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on the team that can hit big shots,” Collison said. “When you add D-West, it just gives us so many more options.”

The Pacers led 38-34 at the half.

NOTES: Indiana outrebounded Toronto 41-39. … The Raptors had won five straight home games against the Pacers. … Toronto made 19 turnovers while Indiana had 16. … For the second straight game, Raptors backup C Aaron Gray was kept out as a precaution because of a rapid heart rate. … Pacers C Jeff Foster (back) did not travel with the team to Toronto. … Raptors F James Johnson had six steals, a career high. … It’s the first time since 2000 that the Raptors have lost consecutive home openers. They were beaten by the New York Knicks last season. … Canadian pop star Justin Bieber watched from a courtside seat.

TORONTO — The Indiana Pacers learned plenty about what it takes to win close games during last season’s playoff loss to Chicago. Now, with David West on their side, they’ve got another option for those late-game situations.

Danny Granger scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Pacers held on to beat the Raptors 90-85 on Wednesday night, spoiling Toronto’s home opener.

Granger hit a key 3-pointer with 1:14 left and West followed with a fadeaway jumper to help stave off a Toronto rally.

“We have so many weapons down the stretch,” Granger said. “We have so many options. I think it’s going to be the mark of us being a good team.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey said his defense didn’t react quickly enough on either shot.

“Those two plays, with kind of hesitant rotation, really broke our back,” Casey said.

West, who scored 14 points, enjoys getting the ball with the game on the line.

“If there’s a play to be made, I’m just not going to back down from it,” West said. “That’s a situation I want to thrive in.”

Paul George scored 18 points, and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers improved to 2-0.

Darren Collison became the fifth Pacers starter to reach double figures by making a pair of free throws with 2.5 seconds left. He finished with 10 points and 12 assists.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel has told his team to think back and take inspiration from last season’s Chicago series every time they go away from home this year.

“We treat it like a playoff game, quite frankly,” Vogel said. “We said in the pregame film session, if we’re going to be .500 or better on the road, we’ve got to come into these buildings and treat them like playoff games.”

Indiana’s road record will be tested early: This was the first game in a stretch that will see the Pacers play 15 of 21 on the road. But George is confident the lessons learned during last year’s postseason appearance will bear fruit.

“That playoff experience has definitely put us in the right mind on how hard we need to play,” he said.

Indiana, which beat Detroit at home on Monday, won for the seventh time in 11 games against Toronto, and snapped a streak of 11 straight victories by the home team in the series.

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth and Andrea Bargnani finished with 21 for Toronto.

“[DeRozan] single-handedly got us back in the game offensively,” Casey said.

Jerryd Bayless scored 13 points and Amir Johnson had 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won Monday’s season-opening game at Cleveland.

Indiana led by as many as 14 points in the fourth before Toronto came back. A 3-pointer by DeRozan and three-point play by Jose Calderon cut it to 80-74 with 3:26 left, forcing the Pacers to call timeout.

Granger’s 3-pointer made it 83-75 with 2:19 to play, but Toronto wasn’t done. DeRozan hit a 3 and Bargnani followed with a three-point play, cutting it to 83-81 with 1:35 remaining.

Once again, a long-range shot from Granger gave Indiana some breathing room, with his 3-pointer from the wing pushing it to 86-81 with 1:14 left.

Calderon answered with a layup for Toronto but West’s fadeaway jumper with nine seconds to play restored Indiana’s five-point cushion.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on the team that can hit big shots,” Collison said. “When you add D-West, it just gives us so many more options.”

The Pacers led 38-34 at the half.

Notes

• Indiana outrebounded Toronto 41-39.
• The Raptors had won five straight home games against the Pacers.
• Toronto made 19 turnovers while Indiana had 16.
• For the second straight game, Raptors backup C Aaron Gray was kept out as a precaution because of a rapid heart rate.
• Pacers C Jeff Foster (back) did not travel with the team to Toronto.
• Raptors F James Johnson had six steals, a career high.
• It’s the first time since 2000 that the Raptors have lost consecutive home openers. They were beaten by the New York Knicks last season.
• Canadian pop star Justin Bieber watched from a courtside seat.

That’s all the news for today.

TORONTO - 

The Indiana Pacers were impressed with the battle Toronto gave them in a 90-85 win at the ACC on Wednesday night.

Head coach Frank Vogel was not surprised at the intensity that was present throughout — at times it appeared Tyler Hansbrough and Jamaal Magloire might start swinging at each other and David West had a perma-scowl affixed to his face all night.

“Noooo, season opener, it’s a good team, this building is always tough to play in,” Vogel said of the leave-it-all-on-the-floor mentality both sides flashed.

“We treat it like a playoff game quite frankly. We have to come into these buildings on the road and treat them like playoff games and our guys treated it (like one).”

Indiana snapped a five-game losing skid in Toronto.

Vogel believes the Raptors are better than the sum of their parts.

“That team is better than they look on paper — they’re very well-coached, they had 35 assists last game. They move the basketball and they defend so they’re going to be a good team this year,” Vogel said.

“It’s a good win for us.”

Indiana centre Roy Hibbert said Toronto looks different than before, particularly up front.

“They’re a lot more physical and that’s the type of game we like,” Hibbert said.

We win ugly, that’s what we did … their bigs play a lot more physical than they have in the past.”

RUN THE FLOOR

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey wasn’t overwhelmed by the lack of fast break buckets by Toronto against Cleveland (0).

It took until late in the first against the Pacers before Toronto finally got a Jerryd Bayless conversion on the break, followed by a Bayless trip to the line off the run on the next play.

But largely because of the reluctance of Jose Calderon to take some chances after a couple of failed alley-oop attempts, the Raptors had only five fast break points at the half.

Calderon repeatedly pulled the ball back out instead of attacking the hoop.

Casey didn’t appear happy with Calderon’s reluctance to push the ball, if his waving arms were any indication.

Meanwhile, Bayless aggressively attacked the Pacers and helped the Raptors hang around.

The team finished with 10 points to Indiana’s nine on the break.

MANO A MANO

Andrea Bargnani had a pretty good battle going at times with West.

Bargnani blew by the former Hornet after a great head fake and threw one down early, but West later beat him with a fine fake of his own leading to a West hook.

Bargnani’s best play might have come in the second quarter. After getting his pocked picked down low, Bargnani stuck his hand out to retrieve an errant pass, threw up a flurry of fakes before putting in a tough layup.

Bargnani then gave Toronto the lead with a three.

But it was West who provided the dagger, a long jumper with nine seconds remaining, stretching Indiana’s lead to five following a well-run pick-and-pop with Darren Collison.

The Pacers are enjoying life with the impressive free agent and West likes where he landed after flirting with signing with the Celtics.

“I’m not going to back down if there is a play to be made. That’s a situation I want to thrive in,” West said of his shot and a good defensive stand on Bargnani that preceded it.

FORMIDABLE PACERS

Casey likes the makeup of the Pacers, particularly new additions West and George Hill. Casey saw a lot of Hill, West and Collison when he was an assistant in Dallas.

Maybe too much.

“I remember him knocking down those corner threes (in the 2010 playoffs when Dallas lost in six to San Antonio),” Casey said.

“I see it in my sleep from two years ago.”

Casey said West gives Indiana another deadly scorer and an “element of toughness.”

According to Granger, people won’t be sleeping on the Pacers much longer.

Granger’s response was simple when told that Indiana’s name doesn’t come up often when contenders were discussed.

“Oh it will. It definitely fuels our fire because we have been overlooked for a while,” said Granger, who scored 21 points and added eight rebounds.

“We’re a lot better team now, we’re a lot deeper and we’re a lot more experienced.”

PASSING THE ROCK

Collison takes some grief for failing to compile enough assists. Collison did not register more than seven assists in a game until Jan. 11 last season ( a season-best 13) and had only 12 in one other contest.

But against Calderon and Bayless, Collison dropped 12 dimes, along with 10 points.

The point guard credited the presence of former Hornets teammate West for racking up his totals on Wednesday.

Gotta run!.