Jazz-Pacers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Feb 07 2012 12:15AM

Though the Indiana Pacers expected to play better in their most recent contest, they have no plans of letting that latest defeat linger for too long.

Hoping to avoid dropping consecutive games for the first time this season, the Pacers look to bounce back when they host the struggling Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

Indiana (16-7) shot a season-low 34.1 percent while scoring its fewest points of 2011-12 in an 85-81 home loss to Orlando on Saturday. The victory snapped the Pacers' four-game winning streak, but it likely won't take away any of their confidence as they remain one of the Eastern Conference's top teams.

"We're going to have those nights," guard Paul George told the Pacers' official website. "We have to regroup, get ourselves together and move on."

Danny Granger scored 19 points and Tyler Hansbrough added 17 off the bench, but the Pacers where held to 14 points in the third quarter while falling for the second time in three home games since opening with five straight victories at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

"This is one of those tough games that we're going to have. I would like to have it back," forward Roy Hibbert said. "This is a game where we made some mistakes and would do things differently and maybe be a little stronger and a little tougher."

Indiana has a chance to do both against Utah (13-10), which has dropped three of four overall and looks to avoid a season-high fourth consecutive road defeat Tuesday. The Pacers, however, have lost eight of the last 10 meetings with the Jazz, including two of three at Indiana.

Granger has averaged 26.2 points on 48.4 percent shooting in his last five games versus Utah.

The Jazz also must find a way to regroup after they fell 99-88 at New York on Monday. Al Jefferson had 22 points and Paul Millsap pulled down 13 rebounds, but Utah was unable to solve a Knicks team without Amar'e Stoudemire and minus Carmelo Anthony for most of the contest.

Utah went 2 of 11 from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers, prompting coach Tyrone Corbin to believe his team took the short-handed Knicks for granted.

"As you've seen out there, you come in here with that attitude, you're in trouble," Corbin said. "They stuck it to us, really."

The Jazz, who are 2-6 on the road, hoped they at least learned their lesson from Monday's effort.

"We dug ourselves in a deep hole. You can't do that no matter who's on the floor," Jefferson said. "We're all professionals. Everybody is a pro. So no matter they didn't have their star player, they're still a team that you just can't go out there and take for granted."

Jefferson has averaged 21.5 points in the last four games, and 23.8 with 9.3 rebounds in his last four against the Pacers.

Though Millsap was held to nine points Monday, he scored 23 and added 18 rebounds in Utah's 95-84 win at Indiana on Feb. 25. Jefferson had 30 with nine boards in that contest.

Granger leads Pacers past Jazz 104-99

Posted Feb 07 2012 11:35PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Danny Granger sat at his locker, worn out and tired.

He was dragging all day after taking medicine to help him get some rest, but it may have been too much for the Indianapolis Pacers forward.

"It just slowed me down basically the whole time," Granger said. "It was supposed to help me sleep, but it kept me groggy the whole day. I was waiting for it to wear off and I started the game and I still was kind of groggy."

He got energized just in time to score 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help lead the Pacers to a 104-99 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

And in time to keep his All-Star campaign on track.

Darren Collison shot 10 of 14 from the floor and scored a game-high 25 points and added five assists for the Pacers, who bounced back from an 85-81 loss to the Orlando Magic and have never lost two in a row this season.

Paul Millsap had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Al Jefferson had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz, who lost their second straight game at the end of a back-to-back.

The Jazz came back from being down 21 points to take a lead in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers were up 57-46 at halftime and then opened the second half on a 10-4 run. Collison scored six points and Paul George, who had 14 points and five rebounds, scored on a lay-up and a dunk before Granger had a layup to give the Pacers a 21-point lead.

Then, the Jazz made a run.

"We got relaxed and we got too comfortable and it came back to bite us," Granger said. "We let our guard down, and they made a run, and it almost cost us the game."

Raja Bell scored a 3-pointer to spark a 17-4 run by the Jazz to get within eight.

Gordon Hayward, whose homecoming in Indianapolis was welcomed by loud cheers during introductions, scored six points in the run. He had 11 points on the night.

"On the road, you just can't afford dig yourselves a hole like we did," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "You spend so much energy trying to get back. We did take a lead, which is a positive, we just didn't make the plays at the end."

The Jazz trailed 84-77 at the end of the third quarter and scored eight straight to take a lead in the fourth, but were never able to pull away.

"I just think it's a combination of things," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We had a couple of plays at the rim where we didn't finish layups, we got a couple of bad calls, and we lightened up a little bit on the defensive end. It was a combination of those that led to a comeback like that. But the bottom line is we made the plays at crunch time."

And it was in crunch time when Granger took control - at least enough to keep the Pacers in the game.

Granger scored to give Indiana back the lead at 86-85. After Derrick Favors scored, Granger came right back and made it 88-87. C.J. Miles gave the Jazz the lead again, but Granger came back again to make it 90-89.

The Jazz took a 95-92 lead with 3:47 left and Roy Hibbert, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, was fouled on a shot next to the post and went to the line to tie the game.

After Paul George made a 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 98-95, the Jazz missed two shots and turned the ball over before Collison made it 100-95. Granger sealed it at the foul line to give the Pacers a five-point lead with 10.6 seconds left.

The Pacers took a 13-point lead at one point in the second quarter and led by 11 at halftime. Collison scored 17 points in the first half, mostly driving to the basket. All but two of his seven shots in the first half were near the basket.

"I know how to do it, to be aggressive and score sometimes," Collison said. "But this year I've tried to be more of a facilitator and try to get my teammates involved. At times I can be aggressive and penetrate like I did."

Collison and Granger are two of six Pacers players on the All-Star ballot this season. Granger's work Tuesday night certainly didn't go unnoticed by Corbin.

"He's a big part of what they do," Corbin said. "We knew at some point they were going to get the ball in his hands and he was going to take some shots. He's one of the key players for them and he's going to get some shots."

Even Vogel is taking the time to make sure his players get noticed.

"We've sent emails out and make phone calls and we definitely want the coaches around the league to understand the sacrifices our guys have made to buy into the team approach and how it's led to winning," Vogel said. "And particularly the things we've done on the defensive end. I don't' want that to go unnoticed."

And for Granger, that's enough of the sleep aids.

"No more of that medicine," Granger said. "I took some bad medication."

Notes: Jazz G Jamaal Tinsley didn't travel with the team for what the team said was a personal reason.

Notebook: Pacers 104, Jazz 99

Posted Tuesday February 7, 2012 10:55PM

Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: What looked like a routine dismantling took a surprising turn as Indiana blew a 21-point lead to fall behind in the fourth quarter. But Danny Granger came alive just in time, scoring 12 of his 16 points to help the Pacers recover to beat Utah 104-99 Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Darren Collison's season-high 25 points and Roy Hibbert's 10th double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) carried the Pacers (17-7) much of the night but Granger, who was 0-of-6 in the first half, stepped forward down the stretch. Paul Millsap led Utah (13-11) with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

QUOTABLE: "Give them credit for not quitting. We understand big leads are never safe in the NBA. D.C. carried us early and Danny got hot late. When it came down to it, we made the plays at crunch time. Our greatest weapon is the ability to move the ball, find the open man with five guys who can score."
-- Indiana Coach Frank Vogel

THE STAT: Indiana is one of three teams, along with the Bulls and 76ers, to have avoided consecutive losses this season. The Pacers are 7-0 after defeats with an average victory margin of 10.4 points.

TURNING POINT: Indiana lead 71-50 early in the third quarter but Utah made 11 of 12 while the Pacers missed 10 in a row and the result was a 35-13 run that put the visitors ahead 85-84 early in the fourth quarter. Granger scored four straight buckets to stem the rally, added a clutch jumper with 25 seconds left that made it 102-97 and closed it out with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "It had me groggy all day and into tonight. I was a little late and slow on transition plays and just as bit slow overall. It almost cost us but we were able to pull out the fourth quarter and get this done. We knew we could but we just had to play hard and make it happen."
-- Granger on taking sleep medication the night before.

HOT: Collison had his second 20-point game in the past four, hitting 10 of 14 shots. He also had five assists without a turnover. Millsap made the most of his seven shots, making five and hitting all eight of his free throws for his 18 points.

NOT: Indiana's bench continues to struggle since losing sixth man George Hill to an ankle injury. The reserves were outscored 36-24.

QUOTABLE III: "It was great coming home and it was a lot of fun playing in front of my friends and especially my family. It was great hearing some of the response from the fans that were supporting me. And even with the loss, this was good experience."
-- Utah forward Gordon Hayward, an Indianapolis product and former Butler University star.

GOOD MOVE: Fully aware of Utah's troubles containing quick point guards, Vogel turned Collison loose from the outset and he controlled the tempo of the game, getting to the basket with ease. Collison normally plays a secondary role as a scorer but was very much in the spotlight against Devin Harris.

BAD MOVE: Granger took sleep medication the night before and it left him groggy for much of the game. He missed his first six shots and was 1-of-8 until the fourth quarter.

IN THE ARENA: Butler Coach Brad Stevens was on hand to see Hayward, who had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. Also in the crowd were two of Hayward's former college teammates, including guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

NOTABLE: Paul George had another solid all-around game for Indiana with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals. He has 11 steals in the past three games. ... Jeff Foster missed his 12th consecutive game with a sore lower back and he isn't expected to play Wednesday in Atlanta. He will be re-evaluated Thursday in hopes of joining the team for Friday's game in Memphis. ... Hill has missed four in a row with a chip fracture in his left ankle. ... Former Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley did not make the trip to Indianapolis. Instead, he remained in New York, where the Jazz lost to the Knicks Monday night, to attend to a personal matter. ... The Pacers tied a season-low with just eight turnovers.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Wednesday @ Atlanta, Friday @ Memphis, Saturday vs. Denver. For the Jazz, Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Sunday @ Memphis, Monday a@ New Orleans.

• Jazz: --
• Pacers: --

• Jazz: --
• Pacers: --

• Lead Changes: 14
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #78 Scott Bolnick, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 11006
• Duration: 2:11