Read More: David West (F – IND), Danny Granger (F – IND), George Hill (G – IND), Brandon Jennings (G – MIL), Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers, Apr 19, 2012 7:00 PM EDT

Riding a six-game winning streak, the Indiana Pacers are the NBA’s hottest team and have all but locked up the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost two in a row and are hanging on for dear life in the playoff picture, two and a half games behind the No. 8 spot with only four games remaining following their test against the red-hot Pacers. At the half on Thursday night, the Pacers are leading by six, 56-50.

The Pacers jumped out to a 16-6 lead in the first quarter and led 34-29 after one, but an 11-0 run to start the second gave the Bucks a six-point lead. The Pacers responded with an 8-2 run and the teams traded leads until the Pacers ended the half on an 8-0 run.

George Hill and Danny Granger lead the Pacers with 14 apiece. David West has 10 points and nine rebounds. The Bucks are being led by Brandon Jennings’ 14 points.

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, or check out SB Nation’s YouTube channel:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers approached Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as though they were facing the Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat.

The Pacers rolled to a 25-point lead in the first 9 minutes and beat the Timberwolves 111-88 for their fifth consecutive win.

This young team is starting to get it.

“We came out with the killer instinct tonight,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “That set the tone for us. That’s what we want to go into the playoffs with.”

David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Danny Granger scored 19 points, Paul George had 18 and Roy Hibbert added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who solidified their grip on the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference standings.

Indiana has won eight of nine games, but none of the other wins started this well. The Pacers generally have been stronger in the second half than in the first, but this time, they did the right things from the opening tip.

“I think the biggest thing is that we continue to build good habits,” West said. “We’re coming out and trying to make the right play every single time. I think that’s imperative for us. We continue the momentum we’re starting to build and hopefully, we’ll be playing some of our best ball a week-and-a-half from now.”

Indiana scored at least 100 points for the 10th time in 11 games.

“We’ve been trusting the pass,” George said. “Everybody’s been willing to share the ball, and we’ve been moving.”

Jose Barea had 14 points and nine assists and reserves Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams added 13 points each for Minnesota, which lost its 10th in a row. Kevin Love, one of the league’s top scorers and rebounders, sat out for the third consecutive game with a mild concussion and a neck strain.

Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said Love’s injury was no excuse.

“You have to come out and compete, and we didn’t compete,” he said. “It’s a glaring problem. We know we have injuries, but we’re better than that.”

The Pacers rolled to a 22-4 lead as Minnesota missed 10 of its first 11 shots.

“They came out with a lot of energy,” Minnesota forward Anthony Randolph said. “They are getting ready for playoff basketball. It was just a tough loss.”

Indiana made three consecutive 3-pointers to take a 55-23 lead in the second quarter. Later in the period, Indiana got six offensive rebounds on one possession before an emphatic right-handed putback dunk by George Hill put the Pacers up 59-27.

The Pacers led 64-30 at halftime as Indiana made 8 of 14 3-pointers and outrebounded Minnesota 33-23. Minnesota shot just 27.5 percent in posting its lowest-scoring half of the season.

“It’s inexcusable to play the way we did in the first half,” Adelman said. “They were tougher than we were. It’s as simple as that. They’re going to be physical and come at us, and we have to be ready to play.”

Indiana maintained its lead in the third quarter behind 12 points from West. The Pacers shot 50 percent in the third quarter in taking a 93-63 lead.

A flurry by Minnesota cut Indiana’s lead to 95-77 with 6:54 remaining, causing Vogel to call a timeout. The Pacers made just one of their first nine shots in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves cut Indiana’s lead to 14 points before a 3-pointer by A.J. Price pushed the Pacers’ lead to 98-81 and helped the increasingly restless crowd relax.

Even with the shaky fourth quarter, West liked what he saw.

“This is the time of year where you’ve got to be coming together,” he said. “We’re fine-tuning some things we want to do offensively. Obviously, trying to be a collective unit defensively. And then, just play with a certain level of aggression, especially when you’re dealing with teams that don’t have anything to play for this time of year, like the Timberwolves.”

The Pacers are 2½ games ahead of Orlando and Atlanta for third place with five games remaining. A top three seed would give Indiana homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“Everything we do is geared toward winning in the playoffs,” Vogel said. “And the first step is getting homecourt advantage.”

Notes: Former Pacers C Brad Miller entered the game in the first quarter for the Timberwolves and got a loud cheer. … Indiana Mr. Basketball Gary Harris attended the game. He will play at Michigan State. … Indiana PG Darren Collison played after missing the past four games with a sore groin. He went scoreless and committed three fouls in 19 minutes as a reserve. … Minnesota shot 22.7 percent in the first quarter. … Granger scored at least 18 points for the 12th straight game. … It was West’s second game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. … Minnesota has allowed at least 111 points in six of the 10 losses.

__

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By David Vranicar

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Apr 17, 2012 – The Indiana Pacers will make their final regular-season road trip of the season Tuesday night when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Pacers, 39-22, head to Philly in prime position to garner the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. While they have little chance of catching the No. 2 Miami Heat, who are 4.5 games ahead, the Pacers have a three-game cushion over Nos. 4, 5 and 6 — the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic, respectively — who are all knotted at 36-25.

The Pacers will be aided by the fact that their last four games are all at home, starting Thursday against Milwaukee.

The 76ers, 31-29, occupied the No. 3 spot in the East for much of the season but have been floundering down the stretch, falling to No. 8. The Sixers are just 3-7 over their last 10 games and 6-12 dating back to a mid-March defeat against the Pacers.

The Sixers hold a two-game lead over the No. 9 Milwaukee Bucks, who are 29-31.

Tuesday’s game tips at 7 ET and will air 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, or check out SB Nation’s YouTube channel:

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ David West had 22 points and 10 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-88 on Monday night for their fifth consecutive win.
 
    Danny Granger scored 19 points, Paul George had 18 and Roy Hibbert added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who solidified their grip on the No. 3 position in the Eastern Conference standings. Indiana scored at least 100 points for the 10th time in 11 games.
 
    Jose Barea had 14 points and nine assists and reserves Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams added 13 points each for Minnesota, which lost its 10th in a row. Kevin Love, one of the league’s top scorers and rebounders, sat out for the third consecutive game with a mild concussion and a neck strain. 
 
    The Pacers rolled to a 22-4 lead as Minnesota missed 10 of its first 11 shots.
 
    Indiana made three consecutive 3-pointers to take a 55-23 lead in the second quarter. Later in the period, Indiana got six offensive rebounds on one possession before an emphatic right-handed putback dunk by George Hill put the Pacers up 59-27.
 
    The Pacers led 64-30 at halftime as Indiana made 8 of 14 3-pointers and outrebounded Minnesota 33-23. Minnesota shot just 27.5 percent in posting its lowest-scoring half of the season.
 
    Indiana maintained its lead in the third quarter behind 12 points from West. The Pacers shot 50 percent in the third quarter in taking a 93-63 lead.
 
    A flurry by Minnesota cut Indiana’s lead to 95-77 with 6:54 remaining, causing Indiana coach Frank Vogel to call a timeout. The Pacers made just one of their first nine shots in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves cut Indiana’s lead to 14 points before a 3-pointer by A.J. Price pushed the Pacers’ lead to 98-81 and helped the increasingly restless crowd relax.

MILWAUKEE — Size and strength helped the Indiana Pacers build a lead, and they held off the Milwaukee Bucks in a tense finish Saturday night at the Bradley Center.

The Bucks came up empty on six possessions late in the game, missing five shots and a pair of free throws as they suffered a costly 105-99 loss that dampened their playoff hopes.

Milwaukee (29-31) dropped 21/2 games behind both Philadelphia and New York, two teams that would make the Eastern Conference playoffs if the season ended now.

The Bucks have just six games remaining, three at home and three on the road.

Pacers center Roy Hibbert proved tough for the smaller Bucks to handle as the 7-foot-2 all-star finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds. He sank six free throws in the final 1:14 to help Indiana (38-22) secure the victory.

“We had our opportunities to really get it close,” said Bucks coach Scott Skiles. “But we’ve been missing our free throws in the fourth quarter lately, and that hurt us again tonight.”

The Bucks were just 16 of 26 at the foul line (0 of 5 in the fourth quarter) while the Pacers went 24 of 26 on their free throw attempts. And Indiana had a 54-43 rebounding advantage.

Still, the Bucks had two chances to tie when trailing, 99-96, but Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Brandon Jennings missed three-point attempts.

Hibbert drilled two foul shots to make it 101-96, and then Larry Sanders missed a shot at the rim but was fouled. The 6-11 Sanders missed both free throws, and Ersan Ilyasova missed a contested three-pointer on the next Bucks possession.

“This was a tough team that came in,” Bucks guard Monta Ellis said. “We don’t make shots and they do, and they win the ball game. We go out there and we play hard and we fight to the end. That’s all we can do.”

Seven Indiana players scored in double figures, including all five starters. Danny Granger added 21 points and seven rebounds, point guard George Hill had 13 points, and forward David West had 10 points and seven rebounds.

Ellis led the Bucks with 20 points while Jennings barely missed a triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Dunleavy added 13 points and eight rebounds.

“The shots just weren’t going in like they usually do,” said Jennings, who was 6 of 19 from the field. “I was trying to get boards and trying to get my teammates involved, but it wasn’t enough. Picking up full court, that takes a lot out of you.”

Skiles tried to mix and match his forwards to battle the size of Hibbert and West, but it was a tough task.

Sanders played 25 minutes and had eight points, six rebounds and three blocks.

Danny Granger and George Hill scored 18 points each as the Indiana Pacers took an early lead and held off the Toronto Raptors 103-98 Monday night.

Paul George had 15 points and Leandro Barbosa added 14 to help the Pacers _ third in the Eastern Conference _ win for the fourth time in their last five games.

Hill also had seven rebounds and four assists while making his first start of the season in place of the Darren Collison, who sat out with a groin injury sustained in Indiana’s loss to Boston on Saturday.

Linas Kleiza scored 18 points _ all in the fourth quarter _ as the Raptors tried to rally from a 15-point deficit at the start of the period. Alan Anderson had 13 of his 17 points in the third quarter and Amir Johnson finished with 16 for Toronto. Ed Davis added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Jose Calderon had 14 assists.

After a slow start, the Pacers finished 51 percent from the field (36 for 71). The Raptors were 55 percent (21 of 38) in the second half and finished at 48 percent.

Anderson and Kleiza gave the Raptors a chance in the second half. Kleiza scored 10 points as Toronto had a 17-4 run over the first 5:14 of the fourth to pull the Raptors to 81-79. However, the Pacers responded with a 14-6 spurt to increase the lead to 10 points with 1:43 to go.

Calderon had a 3 and Kleiza made two free throws to pull the Raptors to 95-90, but Hill made a 3 with 33.9 seconds remaining to seal the Pacers’ win.

Hill scored five points and Granger had four as the Pacers closed the first quarter with 13-6 run to take a 21-16 lead. Dahntay Jones and A.J. Price hit 3s and Lou Amundson had an alley-oop dunk as Indiana scored the first eight points of the second to stretch the lead to 13.

Hill’s jumper at the buzzer gave Indiana a 51-37 lead at halftime.

NOTES: Barbosa played against Toronto for the first time since the Raptors traded him to the Pacers for a second-round pick and cash on March 15. He finished 5 for 9 from the field after going scoreless in the first half. … The first quarter got off to a sluggish start as both teams struggled with their shots. Over the first 9 minutes, the Pacers shot 39 percent and the Raptors 27 percent as the score was tied 10-10.

Danny Granger and George Hill scored 18 points each as the Indiana Pacers took an early lead and held off the Toronto Raptors 103-98 Monday night.

Paul George had 15 points and Leandro Barbosa added 14 to help the Pacers — third in the Eastern Conference — win for the fourth time in their last five games.

Hill also had seven rebounds and four assists while making his first start of the season in place of the Darren Collison, who sat out with a groin injury sustained in Indiana’s loss to Boston on Saturday.

Linas Kleiza scored 18 points — all in the fourth quarter — as the Raptors tried to rally from a 15-point deficit at the start of the period. Alan Anderson had 13 of his 17 points in the third quarter and Amir Johnson finished with 16 for Toronto. Ed Davis added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Jose Calderon had 14 assists.

After a slow start, the Pacers finished 51 per cent from the field (36 for 71). The Raptors were 55 per cent (21 of 38) in the second half and finished at 48 per cent.

Anderson and Kleiza gave the Raptors a chance in the second half. Kleiza scored 10 points as Toronto had a 17-4 run over the first 5:14 of the fourth to pull the Raptors to 81-79. However, the Pacers responded with a 14-6 spurt to increase the lead to 10 points with 1:43 to go.

Calderon had a 3 and Kleiza made two free throws to pull the Raptors to 95-90, but Hill made a 3 with 33.9 seconds remaining to seal the Pacers’ win.

Hill scored five points and Granger had four as the Pacers closed the first quarter with 13-6 run to take a 21-16 lead. Dahntay Jones and A.J. Price hit 3s and Lou Amundson had an alley-oop dunk as Indiana scored the first eight points of the second to stretch the lead to 13.

Hill’s jumper at the buzzer gave Indiana a 51-37 lead at halftime.

NOTES: Barbosa played against Toronto for the first time since the Raptors traded him to the Pacers for a second-round pick and cash on March 15. He finished 5 for 9 from the field after going scoreless in the first half. … The first quarter got off to a sluggish start as both teams struggled with their shots. Over the first 9 minutes, the Pacers shot 39 per cent and the Raptors 27 per cent as the score was tied 10-10.

INDIANAPOLIS George Hill delivered for the Pacers in his first start for his hometown team.

Hill scored 18 points as Indiana took an early lead and held off the Toronto Raptors, 103-98 on Monday night.

Hill, who was traded from San Antonio for the draft rights of Kawhi Leonard last summer, moved into the starting lineup due to Darren Collison’s groin injury. Hill also had seven rebounds and four assists after entering the game with averages of 8.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.

“It’s fun, you get to go out there and show what you can do as a starter,” Hill said. “Have fun out there with the first unit, which I never have got a chance to play with.

“It just shows if one person goes down, we are a complete team.”

Danny Granger also scored 18 points, Paul George had 15 and Leandro Barbosa added 14 to help the Pacers — third in the Eastern Conference — win for the fourth time in their last five games.

Barbosa played his first game against his former since being traded to Indiana for a second-round pick and cash on March 15. He was scoreless in the first half, but added seven in the third quarter and finished with 14 on 5-for-9 shooting from the field.

“I’ve been pleased with everything he has done since he got here,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “He has a knack for putting the ball in the basket like few in this league.”

Linas Kleiza scored 18 points — all in the fourth quarter — as the Raptors tried to rally from a 15-point deficit at the start of the period.

“I appreciate the guys’ effort,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “They came out and fought and didn’t give in. I thought (Kleiza) came in and gave us a lot of juice in the second half.

“The fight was there. They put us in a tough situation with their pressure, but our guys found a way. It wasn’t pretty and again, all we can do is ask for that type of effort.”

Alan Anderson had 13 of his 17 points in the third quarter and Amir Johnson finished with 16 for Toronto. Ed Davis added 11 points and 10 rebounds and José Calderón had 14 assists.

After a slow start, the Pacers finished 51 per cent from the field (36 for 71). The Raptors were 55 per cent (21 of 38) in the second half and finished at 48 per cent.

Anderson and Kleiza gave the Raptors a chance in the second half. Kleiza scored 10 points as Toronto had a 17-4 run over the first 5:14 of the fourth to pull the Raptors to 81-79. However, the Pacers responded with a 14-6 spurt to increase the lead to 10 points with 1:43 to go.

Calderon had a 3 and Kleiza made two free throws to pull the Raptors to 95-90, but Hill made a 3 with 33.9 seconds remaining to seal the Pacers’ win.

The Pacers play six of their final nine games at home, including the last four. Five of those are against playoff contenders: two against both the Bucks and 76ers, and the season finale against the Bulls, who hold the league’s best record. The Pacers are in the mix for home-court advantage with three other teams — Boston, Atlanta and Orlando — that have between 33 and 35 wins.

“We cannot take none of the games for granted,” Hill said. “Third place through eighth place is so close, so every game has meaning.

“Luckily for us, most of them are at home. We have to protect our court.”

Hill scored five points and Granger had four as the Pacers closed the first quarter with 13-6 run to take a 21-16 lead. Dahntay Jones and A.J. Price hit 3s and Lou Amundson had an alley-oop dunk as Indiana scored the first eight points of the second to stretch the lead to 13.

Hill’s jumper at the buzzer gave Indiana a 51-37 lead at halftime.

NOTES: The Pacers led for the final 45:02 of the game. … The first quarter got off to a sluggish start as both teams struggled with their shots. Over the first 9 minutes, the Pacers shot 39 per cent and the Raptors 27 per cent as the score was tied 10-10.

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS – Paul Pierce scored 24 points to help the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 86-72 Saturday night.

Ray Allen added 19 points, Kevin Garnett scored 15 and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for the Celtics. Boston snapped a two-game skid and remained ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Danny Granger scored 20 points, David West had 16 and Roy Hibbert added nine points and 17 rebounds for Indiana.

The Pacers had won four in a row and had scored more than 100 points in five consecutive games, but they matched their lowest point total of the season against Boston. Indiana shot 35 percent from the field, made just 5 of 22 three-pointers and committed 19 turnovers.

The possible first-round playoff opponents split their season series, winning two games apiece.

The Pacers were coming off a home win against Oklahoma City on Friday night but looked tired against the Celtics.

Boston took a 22-19 lead, then held the Pacers scoreless for the next 7:23 to take a 36-19 lead.

Boston led 43-33 at halftime. The Pacers shot just 3 for 19 in the second quarter, but hung tough because they only allowed Boston to shoot 30 percent. The Pacers just missed their low half of the season, which was 29 points in the second half against Chicago on March 5.

Pierce hit a three-pointer, Boston led by double digits for most of the fourth quarter. Indiana tried to make a late surge, and a three-pointer by Granger cut Boston’s lead to 74-65. Allen hit a three-pointer at the other end a few seconds later to stop Indiana’s momentum.

HAWKS 116, BOBCATS 96: In Charlotte, N.C., Joe Johnson scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and eight Atlanta players scored in double digits in the Hawks’ victory.

HORNETS 99, TIMBERWOLVES 90: In New Orleans, Jason Smith had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hornets.

Kevin Love had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which lost its fifth in a row and 13th in its last 17.

GRIZZLIES 94, MAVERICKS 89: In Memphis, Tenn., Rudy Gay scored 25 points, Zach Randolph added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Memphis built a big early lead and held on.

Gilbert Arenas added 14 points and made three three-pointers, while Mike Conley finished with 12 points for Memphis, which won its second straight and seventh in the last nine games.

BRYANT INURY: Kobe Bryant sat out the Los Angeles Lakers’ game in Phoenix against the Suns with an injured left shin.

Lakers trainer Gary Vitti says he decided to put Bryant’s left foot in a protective boot to rest the injury, an inflammation surrounding a tendon.

Paul Pierce scored 24 points to help the Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers, 86-72, on Saturday night.

Ray Allen added 19 points, Kevin Garnett scored 15 and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists for the Celtics. Boston snapped a two-game skid and remained ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Atlantic Division.

Danny Granger scored 20 points, David West had 16 and Roy Hibbert added nine points and 17 rebounds for Indiana.

The Pacers had won four in a row and had scored more than 100 points in five consecutive games, but they matched their lowest point total of the season against Boston. Indiana shot 35 percent from the field, made just 5 of 22 3-pointers and committed 19 turnovers.

The possible first-round playoff opponents split their season series, winning two games apiece.

The Pacers were coming off a home win against Oklahoma City on Friday night, but looked tired against the Celtics.

Boston took a 22-19 lead, then held the Pacers scoreless for the next 7:23 to take a 36-19 lead.

Boston led 43-33 at halftime. The Pacers shot just 3 for 19 in the second quarter, but hung tough because they only allowed Boston to shoot 30 percent. The Pacers just missed their low half of the season, which was 29 points in the second half against Chicago on March 5. Boston rookie Greg Stiemsma had 10 points, five rebounds and five blocks in the first half.

Pierce hit a 3-pointer, then a pull-up jumper to extend Boston’s lead to 15 points.

Granger made a 3-pointer and Leandro Barbosa made a layup to cut Boston’s lead to 55-48, but the Celtics held on and led 59-51 at the end of the quarter. Pierce scored 13 points in the third period.

Boston led by double digits for most of the fourth quarter. Indiana tried to make a late surge, and a 3-pointer by Granger cut Boston’s lead to 74-65. Allen hit a 3-pointer at the other end a few seconds later to stop Indiana’s momentum.

Notes: Allen didn’t start for just the second time this season. Avery Bradley started in his place, but Allen entered the game in the first quarter. … Rondo was issued a flagrant foul in the second quarter for hitting Granger on the top of the head when Granger went up for a layup.

Washington Wizards guard John Wall drove into the lane to find Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert the large impediment to his path, so he tried to get around him the only way he saw fit: Wall leaped, made a 360-degree spin and short-armed a finger roll that barely grazed the front of the rim.

Wall tried the move again in the second half of the Wizards’ 109-96 loss to the Pacers on Wednesday night at Verizon Center. Driving baseline, he spun to avoid contact but his off-balance shot soared about two feet over the other side of the basket.

Wall has been slumping and his struggles have been magnified as he attempts to lead his depleted team through a grinding, unforgiving schedule. His teammates have advised Wall to play through it. His coach has told him not to make the situation more complicated than it needs to be.

“I think he needs to take a step back and simplify things. He’s trying to maybe do too much, too fast right now to fight through how he’s played the last couple of games,” Coach Randy Wittman said after the Wizards (12-42) lost their third in a row. “Sometimes it’s easier to take a step back and slow down. It’s not an easy thing to do. He’s a competitive kid who wants to play well and wants to play the right way and sometimes, you just get going the opposite way when you struggle a little bit.”

Wall missed 11 of his 15 field goal attempts, and even his made shots were taxing. His first made field goal required a crossover dribble, spin move and fadeaway jumper over Pacers reserve Tyler Hansbrough. Wall finished with 13 points, with three assists and a game-high five turnovers in just 28 minutes — his fewest in more than two months — but took a measured approach to his problems of late.

“Sometimes when things aren’t going your way, you have to keep playing basketball,” Wall said, adding that the season “ain’t taking a toll at all. It’s ups and downs, but it also takes me working on my game and getting better.”

With Wall in the midst of his worst slump of the season — over his past 10 games, he is averaging 12.4 points and shooting just 32.8 percent — the Wizards relied heavily on Jordan Crawford against Pacers. And the ever-ready-to-shoot Crawford was more than up for the challenge in the first half, scoring 21 of his game-high 28 points and helping the Wizards enter the locker room trailing 52-51.

Crawford was credited with 22 shots, but he claimed to have only taken 21 in light of one bizarre sequence. With the Wizards trailing 67-63 in the third period, Jan Vesely attempted a two-handed dunk but Hibbert (13 points, four blocks) swatted it in the opposite direction. Vesely quickly responded by stealing the ball from David West and passing ahead to Crawford, who attempted to throw an alley-oop lob to Vesely. But Paul George slapped away the pass, setting up a jumper by Danny Granger.

“Did it look like I shot? I was passing it,” Crawford said. “You know, I shoot a lot so they added to the field goals.”

Granger had 20 points to lead the Pacers, whose starters shot 70.7 percent.

By David Vranicar

– Newsdesk contributor

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Mar 20, 2012 – Coming off back-to-back losses to the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers will try to bounce back Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Pacers fell 115-100 and 102-88 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to a Knicks team that had lost six of seven coming in. The two defeats dropped Indiana to 25-18, just a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Danny Granger had one of his worst two-game stretches of the season against the Knicks, who aren’t exactly known for their defense. He netted a total of just 20 points (he averages 17.6) and shot 9 of 30 from the field and 2 of 11 from downtown.

The Clippers come in off back-to-back four-point wins over Houston and Detroit. Against the Pistons, Chris Paul went for 19 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds, helping keep the Clippers just 1.5 games back of the Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division.

Tuesday’s game starts at 7 ET and will air 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.

Read More: Danny Granger (F – IND), Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers

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By Tom Lewis

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Mar 8, 2012 – The Indiana Pacers are desperate for another scoring option off the bench so it makes sense that they would be interested in trading for Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford.

According to these Tweets from Blazers Edge, the Pacers and Blazers are engaged in meaningful dialogue about a potential deal before the March 15th deadline.

Pacers president Larry Bird was really disappointed to miss out on Crawford when the guard signed with Portland but giving up a first-round pick may be too rich since Crawford can opt out of his reasonable $5 million/year contract at the end of the season. Crawford would help fill a desperate need for scoring off the bench for the Pacers but Bird has to weigh the value of giving up a future asset for the upgrade off the bench for the remainder of the season.

For more on the Indiana Pacers, check out SB Nation’s Indy Cornrows.

Read More: Jamal Crawford (G – POR), A.J. Price (G – IND), Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers

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