INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers don’t intend to let Miami and Chicago pull away for a two-team race in the Eastern Conference.
Danny Granger scored 25 points to help Indiana beat the Golden State Warriors 102-78 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
The Pacers wanted to set the tone for the rest of their season, and this was the start they were looking for.
“We came out with a killer mentality and continued to play that way all night,” said Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough, who had 15 points and nine rebounds. “We came to play.”
All-Star Roy Hibbert added 12 points and nine rebounds, Paul George had 11 points and nine rebounds, Darren Collison also scored 11 points and David West had 10 points and seven boards for Indiana, which remained in third place in the East.
The Pacers topped 100 points for the fourth straight game after doing so just six times before the current stretch.
“We got a lot of deflections and a lot of steals, a lot of fast break points, and typically, when we get a lot of fast break points, we usually win,” Granger said.
Monta Ellis and Brandon Rush each scored 14 points for the Warriors, who finished with season lows in points and field-goal percentage (.341).
“Embarrassing,” Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. “We got outworked. We did not take care of the basketball. We allowed them to get going in transition. Disappointing part is that we allowed our inability to make shot to affect the way we defended.”
Golden State guard Stephen Curry sat out with a strained tendon in his right foot. The Warriors missed the 45-percent 3-point shooter — they made just 1 of 17 three’s in the first three quarters.
“That’s not us,” Rush said. “I think we’re one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, and tonight was not one of our nights.”
David Lee, who had averaged 19.3 points per game, finished with 12 points and five turnovers. Indiana shut down the league’s No. 5 scoring offense, which had averaged 99.2 points per game.
“Like coach said after the game, if anyone thought they played well tonight, they’re kidding themselves,” Lee said.
The Pacers led 52-38 at halftime as Golden State posted its second-lowest point total in a first half this season.
“We wanted to come in and get the post-All-Star season started in the best fashion that we could, and we knew that Golden State was a very potent team and could score a lot of points, so we just had to jump on them early,” Granger said.
A three-pointer by George early in the second half pushed Indiana’s lead to 57-40, and a reverse layup by Granger upped the margin to 19. A free throw by George gave Indiana a 20-point lead for the first time, and a putback dunk by Hibbert on a miss by Granger forced the Warriors to call timeout.
Golden State missed four of its first five shots after halftime to fall behind 62-40. A 3-point play by Granger pushed Indiana’s lead to 77-47.
“They came out with a lot of intensity,” Ellis said. “Made a lot of shots, got out there and ran, and they won the ball game. You can call it what you want to, but at the end of the day, we didn’t come out and do what we needed to do to come out and win.”
Granger scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the third quarter. The Pacers shot 12 for 19 as a team in the period while holding the Warriors to 7-for-21 shooting.
“He was on fire, so we kept going to him,” Hibbert said. “Just like any other night. If I’m getting going, or D-West (David West) is going, they’re going to keep feeding us.”
The end result: a front-row seat for all five starters for the entire fourth quarter.
“Anytime that happens, that’s great,” Hibbert said. “That’s not going to happen all the time.”
Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Golden State Warriors 102-78 Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 15 points and Roy Hibbert added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who remained in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers topped 100 points for the fourth straight game after doing so just six times before the current stretch.
Monta Ellis and Brandon Rush each scored 14 points for the Warriors, who finished with season lows in points and field-goal percentage (.341).
Golden State guard Stephen Curry sat out with a strained tendon in his right foot. The Warriors missed the 45-percent 3-point shooter – they made just 1 of 17 3s in the first three quarters.
Indiana shut down the league’s No. 5 scoring offense, which had averaged 99.2 points per game.
The Pacers led 52-38 at halftime as Golden State posted its second-lowest point total in a first half this season.
A 3-pointer by Paul George early in the second half pushed Indiana’s lead to 57-40, and a reverse layup by Granger upped the margin to 19. A free throw by George gave Indiana a 20-point lead for the first time, and a putback dunk by Hibbert on a miss by Granger forced the Warriors to call timeout.
Golden State missed four of its first five shots after halftime to fall behind 62-40. A 3-point play by Granger pushed Indiana’s lead to 77-47.
Granger scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the third quarter. The Pacers shot 12-for-19 as a team in the period while holding the Warriors to 7-for-21 shooting.
George had 11 points and nine rebounds, Darren Collison scored 11 points and David West had 10 points and seven boards for the Pacers.
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NOTES: Warriors coach Mark Jackson, a former Pacers player, was cheered loudly during pregame introductions. … Indiana took a 10-0 lead early as Golden State missed its first nine shots. … Ellis made a bank shot as time expired at the end of the first quarter to cut Indiana’s lead to 24-21. … Ellis shot 1-for-6 in the second half. .. Charles Jenkins, who started for Golden State in place of Stephen Curry, scored two points on 0-for-5 shooting. … Indiana G George Hill had two points on 1-for-6 shooting in his second game back from a chip fracture in left ankle.
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INDIANAPOLIS – Roy Hibbert had a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 117-108 overtime win over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night.
Paul George scored 20 points and Darren Collison had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers, winners of three straight.
Trevor Ariza scored 21 points to lead the Hornets, who have lost 10 of their last 13. New Orleans, which snapped a three-game winning streak Monday at Oklahoma City, concludes a stretch of three games in three days – all on the road – tonight at Cleveland.
The Pacers went on a 10-0 run in overtime. Hibbert and Collison combined for eight points and West scored to take a 113-102 lead.
The Hornets scored back-to-back baskets and only scored once more.
Georges finger-roll layup tied the score at 91 with 3:09 to go in regulation and started an 8-1 run for the Pacers. Hibberts jumper 37 seconds later put them ahead and Danny Grangers layup extended the lead to four with 1:50 remaining.
Jarrett Jack made a free throw for the Hornets before Hibberts putback extended the advantage to 97-92 with about 1 1/2 minutes remaining.
Gustavo Ayon had three baskets in New Orleans 6-2 run, cutting the deficit to 99-98 with 16.5 seconds left.
Collison was fouled and went to the line. He hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it 100-98 before Ariza tied score with a jumper with 5.4 seconds left.
George missed a jumper at the buzzer.
HEAT 120, KINGS 108: In Miami, Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and added 10 assists, Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh each scored 20 points and NBA-leading Miami stretched its winning streak to seven games.
LeBron James scored 18 points, Norris Cole had 12 and Udonis Haslem added 10 for Miami (26-7), which has won each of its games during this streak by at least 12 points.
Isaiah Thomas scored 20 of his 24 points in the third quarter for Sacramento, which dropped its sixth straight.
CAVALIERS 101, PISTONS 100: In Cleveland, Antawn Jamison scored 32 points and rookie Kyrie Irving led Clevelands comeback from a 17-point deficit with 17 points in the fourth quarter and end Detroits three-game winning streak.
Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 24 points while Greg Monroe scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds.
GRIZZLIES 89, 76ERS 76: In Memphis, Tenn., Marc Gasol had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Rudy Gay scored 14 points for the Grizzlies.
O.J. Mayo added 13 points and Marreese Speights had 12 to help the Grizzlies (19-15) move to a season-high-tying four games above .500.
Jrue Holiday scored 22 points – none in the fourth – for the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers, who shot just 37 percent while losing their fourth straight and sixth in their last eight.
Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel is feeling pretty good about his team entering the All-Star break and he’s not afraid to admit it.
The Pacers have won four straight, improving to 21-12 overall after Wednesday night’s 102-88 win over the woeful Charlotte Bobcats, to give them some momentum heading into the second half of the season.
“Our team has no ceiling,” Vogel said. “I’ve said that from Day 1. I know we can play with the best in the league.
“We’ve just got to do it on a consistent enough basis to earn one of the league’s best records. We are near the top. We want to be at the top. We’ve got great talent at every position. We’re not a mega-star team but we’ve got stars on our team.”
Tyler Hansbrough is one of those guys.
Hansbrough came off the bench to score a season-high 22 points along with nine rebounds as the Pacers defeated the Bobcats for the ninth straight time, including the second time this week.
This game was much closer than the 35-point rout Sunday in Indianapolis — at least for three quarters. The Pacers led by 10 after the third, but began to pull away in the fourth and led by as many as 21 points and were never really threatened.
Danny Granger had 12 points and A.J. Price, Paul George, Dahntay Jones and Darren Collison also scored in double figures. Lou Amundson had a season-high 11 rebounds as the Pacers remained firmly entrenched in second place in the Central Division.
Indiana’s reserves played well, scoring 55 points in extended playing time.
“Our depth is big for us,” Hansbrough said. “Obviously when you add David West and George Hill it makes a difference to get some veteran guys in there that have some experience. It’s good you know to have some guys that can come off the bench that can do some work. I feel like our second unit, when we get in there, we’re not taking anything away. We’re just trying to build the lead.”
Hansbrough, who played in college up the road in Chapel Hill, received a lukewarm ovation from the crowd — Duke fans were obviously in attendance — when he entered the game midway through the first quarter.
He provided some instant offense.
Unlike Sunday when the Pacers jumped out to a 21-2 lead against the Bobcats, the Pacers had a bit of a struggle coming out of the gates falling behind 19-10 but quickly took control. The Pacers clawed back even and then went on a 12-2 run to close the first half and take a 50-42 lead behind 12 points from Hansbrough, who showed the same intensity he did when he played with the Tar Heels.
“You know it’s definitely different,” Hansbrough said of the NBA game. “The sets and the defense and the game and the style are different. (But) I keep the energy like I did in college and try to go out there and attack.”
Corey Maggette scored 20 points and D.J. Augustin had 15 for the Bobcats, who’ve lost 18 of their last 19 games.
The Bobcats got an encouraging game from rookie center Bismack Biyombo, who finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“He’s coming,” coach Paul Silas said of Biyombo, the seventh overall pick in the draft. “He’s learning and he’s getting there. He learned how to block shots. He works on his offense just about every day, so that’s going to come. I thought he played well tonight.”
But the Pacers were simply too much for Charlotte — again.
In what’s been a repetitive theme this season for the Bobcats, they were manhandled on the boards and outscored in the paint. The Pacers outrebounded the Bobcats 35-18 in the second half.
“That’s the ball game right there,” Silas said.
“Our bench carried us through some of the first half and obviously in the second half they broke the game open and we just rolled with them,” Vogel said. “I’m pleased with how much we shared the ball.”
It didn’t hurt that the Pacers made 27 of their first 30 free-throw attempts.
The Bobcats enter the All-Star break with a 4-28 record, by far the worst in the NBA. If there’s some consolation, they expect to get Gerald Henderson back next week. Henderson has sat out the last three weeks with a strained hamstring.
“We definitely need this break,” Augustin said. “In the NBA you play so many games you have to move on. Hopefully after this break we come back with some more energy and get some more wins.”
That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.
TORONTO – The Indiana Pacers learned plenty about what it takes to win close games during last seasons playoff loss to Chicago. Now, with David West on their side, theyve 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 Torontos 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 its 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 seasons 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 Atlantas 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 Detroits 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.
Detroits 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.
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.
TORONTO (AP) – Danny Granger scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Indiana Pacers beat the Raptors 90-85 on Wednesday night, spoiling Toronto’s home opener.
Paul George had 18 points, David West scored 14 and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
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.
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 22 points and Andrea Bargnani had 21 for Toronto.
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 rallied. 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 to play restored Indiana’s five-point cushion.
The Pacers led 38-34 at the half.
NOTES: Indiana outrebounded Toronto 41-39. … The Raptors made 19 turnovers while the Pacers 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. … 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.
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.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
There were plenty of smiles to go around after the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors both posted season-opening victories Monday.
There will likely be a more serious tone Wednesday night in Toronto following a controversial end to the 2010-11 series between these clubs.
Playing their first game since the interim tag was removed from coach Frank Vogel, the Pacers defeated Detroit 91-79 on Monday. Indiana shot just 36.8 percent from the field, but it scored 14 second-chance points and held a 53-40 rebounding edge.
Roy Hibbert (16 points and 14 rebounds), Tyler Hansbrough (15 and 13) and newcomer David West (11 and 12) controlled the paint.
“We have the ability to crash the boards,” Danny Granger said after scoring 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting. “I think our big guys did an excellent job of dominating the glass, on the offensive end also. We didn’t give up too many offensive rebounds (nine). When they can dominate the glass like that, it’s going to be hard to beat us.”
The Pacers grabbed 20 more rebounds than the Raptors in two home wins last season, including a 56-38 edge in a 104-93 victory Jan. 31 in Vogel’s first game after replacing the fired Jim O’Brien. However, they were outrebounded 46-34 in a 108-98 loss at Toronto on March 11 in the final meeting.
Losing a sixth consecutive game overall probably added to its frustration, but Indiana was angered that Raptors guard Leandro Barbosa tried to add to his season-high 29-point effort with a drive to the basket – instead of dribbling out the clock – with six seconds left.
Toronto argued that it was payback for Pacers point guard Darren Collison hitting a long 3-pointer as time expired in the Jan. 31 matchup.
“If I was on him, I would have took (Barbosa’s) head off and I would have been suspended for a game for a flagrant foul,” said Granger, who led with Pacers with 19.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in the season series. “Stuff like that will sit in the back of your head the next time we play Toronto. We don’t play them again but if I was on him, I would have taken his neck off.”
The Pacers, though, have far more to be concerned about than Barbosa after the Raptors shot 53.2 percent and had seven players score in double figures in Monday’s 104-96 win at Cleveland.
“It’s one game,” coach Dwane Casey said following his Toronto debut. “I don’t want to get too excited on wins and I don’t want to get too upset on losses. There are 65 more games.”
Still, Casey has to be excited about the play of his talented backcourt. DeMar DeRozan scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, while point guard Jose Calderon added 15 with 11 assists. Barbosa added 14 points off the bench.
The Raptors, who open a three-game trip Friday against Dallas, went 16-25 at home last season.
The Pacers finished 13-28 away from home in 2010-11 and have lost five straight in Toronto.
The home team has won the last 11 times these teams have met.
Your call: Will the Raptors still be undefeated after tonight?
INDIANAPOLIS — Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 14 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Detroit Pistons 91-79 on Monday night in the season opener for both teams at the renamed Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
David West, Indiana’s big free agent addition, had 11 points and 12 rebounds, even though he made just 3 of 12 field goals. Tyler Hansbrough had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Paul George added 12 points.
Danny Granger, Indiana’s leading scorer last season, finished with 16 points on 6-for-18 shooting. The Pacers shot just 37 percent from the field, but got away with it because they outrebounded the Pistons 53-40. Indiana had 18 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points.
Jonas Jerebko and Rodney Stuckey each scored 17 points for the Pistons, who never led.
Indiana led big early, but Detroit made a push in the second quarter before back-to-back 3s by George and Darren Collison increased Indiana’s lead to 47-34.
The Pacers led 52-38 at halftime and kept rolling at the start of the second half. Collison hit a baseline jumper off an offensive board by West, then followed it with a 3-pointer to push Indiana’s lead to 59-42. Hibbert dunked and was fouled after a nifty inside feed by Granger. His free throw pushed Indiana’s lead to 62-42 four minutes into the second half and forced a timeout by the Pistons.
Detroit played a bit better right out of the timeout, but a bucket by Hansbrough and a fast break layup by Dahntay Jones pushed the lead back to 20 and forced another Detroit timeout with 4:42 left in the third.
This timeout didn’t work so well for the Pistons. Jones hit a long baseline jumper, then George Hill’s steal and dunk pushed Indiana’s lead to 74-50. The Pacers led 76-58 at the end of the third quarter.
A 3-pointer by Granger pushed the lead to 85-61 with 7 minutes left in the game. Pacers fans gave the team a standing ovation in the final minute.
Notes: Pacers C Jeff Foster sat out with a back injury he tweaked during the preseason. … Pistons C Ben Wallace was loudly booed during pregame introductions. Wallace played a key role in the brawl in 2004 that eventually forced the Pacers to rebuild. … Indiana F Jeff Pendergraph missed the game with a sprained right knee. … Indiana outscored Detroit 16-4 from the free-throw line in the first half. … Indianapolis native George Hill had four points and four assists in his regular-season debut for Indiana.
