Pacers lose shootout with Warriors
By Conrad Brunner
Pacers.com
The Pacers knew who was going to get the ball and what he intended to do. That didn't mean there was a whole lot they could do about it.
Red-hot Monta Ellis capped a 36-point night with the game-winner, a tough fallaway jumper over a fully extended Brandon Rush, to complete a Golden State rally in the final three minutes and hand the Pacers a heartbreaking 110-108 loss Wednesday before 18,185 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.
In a game marked by dramatic runs that had momentum swaying back and forth, the Pacers led by eight early in the fourth quarter and 105-101 with 2:53 left but Golden State closed with a 9-3 run to spoil another big night from Danny Granger.
The Pacers' star scored 32 for the second game in a row, adding 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
IMPACT
The Pacers lost their third in a row overall to fall to 16-23. They’ve lost 11 of 12 on the road, where they're now 6-13, and dropped their fourth in a row in Oakland. Indiana slipped into an eighth-place tie with Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, one-half game ahead of Charlotte. The Warriors won their third in a row and ninth in 14 games to improve to 18-23.
QUOTEWORTHY
- “We can’t give up 27 points on turnovers if we want to win. The whole time we prepared for Golden State we talked about the fact that they are one of the top teams in the league in creating turnovers and scoring points off turnovers. We did not execute that part of the game plan and that’s why we lost. Turnovers killed us and that is the bottom line." – Pacers coach Jim O'Brien
- “This is probably one of the toughest (losses) of the season, only because we were on the road and had the lead and we let it slip away from us by not making smart decisions, and it cost us." – Pacers guard Darren Collison
- "I think we executed well in the first half and as the game went on we started to lose our focus. As a point guard I take full responsibility for that." – Collison
- “The better teams in this league know how to close games. We just haven’t learned how to do that yet. Whether it is experience, or whether it be whatever, we just don’t have the instinct to close games.” – Granger
STAT OF THE GAME
When Granger missed a free throw in the second quarter, it snapped his streak of 60 in a row against the Warriors. In fact, he missed two free throws in the game (in eight attempts), more than he had missed in 10 career games against Golden State (67 of 68).
TWEET(S) OF THE GAME
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Mine (@conrad_brunner): "How can you not love the McRoberts/Hansbrough frontcourt combination? Should be a consistent weapon in the rotation."
Theirs (@indycornrows): "Hibbert out sick so the McPsycho Brothers will start for Pacers vs. Golden State. That's enough to keep anyone awake. Who's with me?"
HIGHLIGHTS
The Pacers made the first big move with a 17-2 run fueled by four 3-pointers to take a 41-30 lead early in the second quarter. They maintained the 11-point lead deep into the half before Ellis heated up, scoring the Warriors' final 10 points to cut the margin to 58-53 at the break.
Dorell Wright picked up where Ellis left off, scoring seven quick points out of the locker including a dunk to put the Warriors up 62-61. The Pacers shot 4-of-12 and committed seven turnovers while Golden State outscored them 24-11 to built the lead to 77-69.
Indiana then reversed the momentum with a 22-6 run, with 18 of the points coming from reserves Mike Dunleavy, Paul George and A.J. Price, as the visitors took a 91-83 lead with 10:10 remaining.
The Warriors immediately countered with a 13-2 burst to regain the lead 96-95 but the Pacers appeared to be regaining control as Granger scored seven in the next three minutes to push Indiana back into a 105-101 lead with 2:53 remaining.
The Pacers then committed turnovers on three of their next four possessions and Golden State capitalized to take a 108-105 lead on Stephen Curry's running one-handed with 21.8 seconds left.
After a timeout, Collison appeared to surprise Curry with a quick drive to the basket, drawing a foul and converting the three-point play to tie the score with 18.1 seconds left. But the Warriors spread the floor and gave it to Ellis, whose step-back fallaway won it.
Indiana tried to set up an inbounds lob to Tyler Hansbrough but Wright intervened to prevent the potential game-tying shot.
BY THE NUMBERS
Granger was 11-of-19 from the field, 4-of-7 from the arc, for his 32 points. However, he committed seven turnovers. Hansbrough had 16 points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. Collison had 14 points and five assists, but four turnovers, and Dunleavy had 14 off the bench. Jeff Foster pulled a season-high 15 rebounds but shot 1-of-8.
The Pacers shot 45.7 percent and were 9-of-22 from the arc but committed 20 turnovers and were outscored 27-11 on points off turnovers.
Ellis was 16-of-28, adding six assists, five rebounds and two steals in his immaculate night. Wright scored 21 on 9-of-17 shooting and David Lee had 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Curry had 11 points and seven assists.
NOTEWORTHY
- Roy Hibbert missed his first game of the season with an upper respiratory infection that kept him in bed a the team hotel. Josh McRoberts started in his place, playing 18 minutes and producing seven points and two rebounds.
- With McRoberts at center and Brandon Rush at shooting guard, the Pacers employed their 11th lineup of the season.
- A.J. Price replaced T.J. Ford as the first point guard off the bench and scored seven points with three turnovers in 16 minutes.
- The Pacers had a 32-13 advantage in bench scoring as Golden State's reserves did not make a basket until Acie Law's 3-point heave to end the third period.
UP NEXT
The Pacers' trip continues Friday in Portland against the Trail Blazers (10 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, WIBC 93 FM).