Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Danny Granger scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed six rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers earned an easy 102-86 win over the Washington Wizards at Conseco Fieldhouse.
T.J. Ford added 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Roy Hibbert ended with 12 points and 11 boards for the Pacers, who claimed a 101-89 victory against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Indiana has won two in a row after losing its first three to start the season.
First-round pick Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut and ended with 13 points and five rebounds in nearly 14 minutes of action. The North Carolina product suffered a right shin injury early in training camp after being taken with the 13th overall selection in this year's draft. Dahntay Jones chipped in with 18 points.
Caron Butler had a game-best 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Brendan Haywood grabbed 19 boards to go along with nine points for Washington, which has dropped three straight and four of six to begin the 2009-10 campaign. Randy Foye and Gilbert Arenas netted 16 and 13 points, respectively.
"We just couldn't get it together," Arenas said. "Couldn't get a run on offense and couldn't get stops on defense.
Indiana led 23-19 after the first 12 minutes, then outscored the Wizards 16-7 in the early stages of the second with Granger accounting for six of the points to grab at 39-26 advantage near the 7 1/2 minute mark. Hansbrough added four during the burst for his first NBA points.
The Pacers maintained the double-digit lead for the majority of the period and led 53-41 heading into the break.
Butler's three-pointer at the midway point of the third cut the Washington deficit to single digits at 64-56, but the Pacers would quickly respond. A driving layup from Granger followed by a Hansbrough make and a pair free throws ignited a 12-2 Indiana run. The Pacers would have a comfortable 82-65 cushion after three quarters.
Indiana's lead ballooned to as many as 22 points in the final period on the way to the 102-86 final score.
"We didn't shoot particularly well from the field," Granger said. "We relied on our defense. We blocked some shots, got some steals, found the open man and got the win."
Game Notes: Wizards forward Mike Miller (shoulder) did not play and is expected to miss seven to 10 days...Forwards Troy Murphy (bruised lower back), Mike Dunleavy (knee) and center Jeff Foster (ankle) all sat out for the Pacers. Guard Brandon Rush scored only two points for Indiana before leaving in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return...Arenas reached the 10,000 point plateau for his career after making a three-pointer late in the second quarter...Indiana took two of three encounters with Washington last season, while these clubs had split the previous 26 matchups coming in. The Wizards are now winless in their past four visits to Conseco Fieldhouse.