Two teams are chasing the Indiana Pacers (35-42) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Those teams are the Charlotte Bobcats (32-43) and the Milwaukee Bucks (30-45). Last night, the Pacers might have knocked that race down to just them and the Bobcats.
In a game Milwaukee simply could not afford to lose, Indiana managed to hold on and defeat them 89-88 behind a well-balanced scoring attack initiated by point guard Darren Collison.
Collison had 11 points and 7 assists, and he got some big help from Danny Granger (17 points, 5 rebounds) and Roy Hibbert (11 points, 15 rebounds). It was Hibbert's emphatic dunk with 1:06 remaining in the game which gave the Pacers the lead for good.
Bucks guard John Salmons hit a jumper with 26 seconds left to cut the Pacers led 89-88. After a Darren Collison miss with just seconds to go, Milwaukee got the ball back with 2.3 seconds remaining. On the inbound play, Drew Gooden jacked up an improbable three-pointer which almost banked in. However, it didn't, and the Pacers held on to knock off the Bucks, and possibly knock them out of the playoff race.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, Indiana holds a five-game lead over the Bucks and a three-game lead over the Bobcats, a team they swept 4-0 during the season.
NBA: Pacers Hold On The Escape Bucks 89-88, Potentially Knock Bucks From Playoff Race
Two teams are chasing the Indiana Pacers (35-42) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Those teams are the Charlotte Bobcats (32-43) and the Milwaukee Bucks (30-45). Last night, the Pacers might have knocked that race down to just them and the Bobcats.
In a game Milwaukee simply could not afford to lose, Indiana managed to hold on and defeat them 89-88 behind a well-balanced scoring attack initiated by point guard Darren Collison.
Collison had 11 points and 7 assists, and he got some big help from Danny Granger (17 points, 5 rebounds) and Roy Hibbert (11 points, 15 rebounds). It was Hibbert's emphatic dunk with 1:06 remaining in the game which gave the Pacers the lead for good.
Bucks guard John Salmons hit a jumper with 26 seconds left to cut the Pacers led 89-88. After a Darren Collison miss with just seconds to go, Milwaukee got the ball back with 2.3 seconds remaining. On the inbound play, Drew Gooden jacked up an improbable three-pointer which almost banked in. However, it didn't, and the Pacers held on to knock off the Bucks, and possibly knock them out of the playoff race.
With seven games remaining in the regular season, Indiana holds a five-game lead over the Bucks and a three-game lead over the Bobcats, a team they swept 4-0 during the season.
Apr 02 11:40a by Brad Wells