Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Danny Granger scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half, as Indiana won its eighth straight home game, 102-95, over the Sacramento Kings.
Troy Murphy added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won six of their last seven overall. Roy Hibbert and Earl Watson both totaled 10 points, as Indiana rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second quarter.
"We made it a point to pick it up and play with a little more energy in the second half," Granger said. "We moved the ball, got stops, got boards and got the win. This is a way we would like to play for the rest of the year."
Tyreke Evans returned after missing five games for the Kings. The rookie guard had 17 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, but also had seven turnovers as the Kings lost for a fifth straight time. Evans had been out due to a concussion he suffered in a loss to Milwaukee on March 19.
"We didn't come out with the same energy we had in the first half," Evans said. "They were the home team and took advantage of it."
Jason Thompson ended with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Beno Udrih also scored 18 for Sacramento. Carl Landry chipped in 17 points and 10 boards.
Down 56-47 at the half, Indiana turned up its defense in the third quarter, limiting the Kings to 6-of-22 shooting in the period. Granger netted 13 in the stanza, helping the Pacers take the lead for good.
Udrih's jumper restored a 60-58 lead for the Kings with 7:27 left in the third, but the Pacers scored the ensuing 11 points. Granger scored nine during the burst, including a three-pointer to cap the rally.
The Kings trimmed the deficit to 73-70 moving to the fourth, but Granger and Murphy hit back-to-back threes early in the stanza for an 85-76 cushion with nine minutes left.
A three-ball by A.J. Price jumped the lead to 92-78, and the Pacers weren't challenged the rest of the night.
Sacramento held a 30-24 lead after one quarter and upped that advantage to 15 several times, the last at 50-35 inside five minutes left in the half.
Game Notes: This was the opener of a four-game homestand for the Pacers, who will also host Miami, Houston and New York. This is Indiana's longest home winning streak since the 2003-04 season when they closed the season with an eight-game streak as the hosts...The Kings 0-4 on a five-game road trip, which finishes Wednesday at Minnesota...Indiana's last loss at Conseco Fieldhouse came February 25 against Milwaukee...Omri Casspi (virus) sat out for the Kings.
