Indianapolis, IN – Danny Granger scored 25 points as the Pacers grinded out a 93-89 win over the Wizards on Thursday.
David West and George Hill contributed 14 points apiece for Indiana, which has won three of four and added another 1/2 game to its lead over idle Atlanta in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. The teams are tied in wins but the Hawks (30-22) have two more losses.
It was a bounce-back game of sorts for the Pacers, currently seeded fifth in the East, after a flat performance in a loss to lowly New Jersey on Wednesday.
Jordan Crawford paced the visitors with 20 points and Nene tallied 16 with 13 rebounds for Washington, which has dropped five in a row.
Indiana created some separation midway through the fourth with 7-2 run fueled by Granger and Roy Hibbert.
After the Wizards' Cartier Martin turned a steal off Paul George into a dunk that tied the game at 80, Hibbert began the spurt with a hook shot in the paint. Granger knocked down a turnaround jumper a bit later before feeding Hibbert for a three-point play that made it 87-82.
But Crawford answered with a three-pointer at the 2:03 mark. Both teams missed shots until, with 21.2 seconds to play, Washington was forced to foul.
Crawford and Hibbert each hit a pair from the line, and although Nene followed Crawford's quick basket with a quick dunk, Darren Collison drained another two from the stripe with six ticks on the clock to seal the victory for Indiana.
Behind 18 points from Granger, the Pacers took a 52-49 lead into halftime.
Game Notes
Wizards forward Trevor Booker returned to the starting lineup after missing Monday's game against Detroit with a sore right knee...Hibbert finished with nine points...Martin and John Wall finished with 10 and 13 points, respectively, for Washington...Indiana has won eight in a row at home against Washington and five straight versus the Wizards overall.
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