Pacers Vs. Timberwolves: Danny Granger Blows Up In Indiana Win

Danny Granger blew up for 36 points as the Indiana Pacers took a 109-99 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Granger did the bulk of his damage in the second, dropping 17 on 4-5 shooting with eight free throw attempts in the third and 12 more (3-6 from floor) in the fourth.

Minnesota shot poorly from the floor, just 37.4 percent. The game was called tightly with 51 total fouls called; Kevin Love and Granger, Team USA teammates, got into it in the second half as tempers flared. Love was, per usual, the Wolves' top producer, offering 21 points and 17 rebounds, but shot just 6-16 from the floor. Michael Beasley didn't have it off of the bench, scoring 11 on 11 shots.

Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert had strong performances for Indiana; Collison scored 20 with nine assists, and Hibbert dropped 15 on 6-9 shooting with nine rebounds and three blocks.

In other action ...

Celtics 100, Raptors 64: Toronto is back to being completely noncompetitive when Andrea Bargnani is out, FYI. The Raptors' scoring totals by quarter were 16, 19, 15, 14. That's right: just 29 points in the second half, during most of which Boston emptied its bench.

Nets 99, Pistons 96: Deron Williams had another monster game with 26 points and nine assists as New Jersey picked up a needed win in Detroit. Greg Monroe had 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Suns 120, Hornets 103: Steve Nash put up a rare 30-point, 10-assist performance and Marcin Gortat dropped 23 as Phoenix beat the beaten Hornets.

Magic 109, Wizards 103: Having to score 40 in the fourth to beat the Wizards counts as a loss, right? Orlando won the fourth 40-35 in an unlikely shoot-out. John Wall scored two points on 1-12 shooting, but did have 10 assists. Dwight Howard racked up 23 points and 18 rebounds. He hit 11-16 free throws.

Blazers 112, Bobcats 68: A matchup between the Bobcats offense and the Bobcats defense would be extraordinarily competitive, because both units are awful. There isn't one thing that team did well in this loss.