INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Pacers ended their first back-to-back-to-back games of the season, three games in three nights, by ending their longest losing streak of the season. The Pacers pulled away from the New Jersey Nets late in the 4th quarter, then held on for a 93-88 victory. The win ended a Pacers five game losing streak. The Nets have now lost eight in a row.
"I'm very happy to not be on a losing streak anymore," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. "Our defense improved tonight. We feel like we're getting back to being ourselves."
Pacers Forward Danny Granger returned from a sprained left ankle that forced him to miss Wednesday's game in Cleveland. Granger scored 32 points to lead the Pacers.
"I knew I had to play tonight," said Granger, while he iced his ankle after the game. "We had lost 5 in a row to some teams we thought we should have beaten."
David West had 16 points for Indiana.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 11 points in the first quarter. The game was tied at 50 at halftime. Deron Williams led the Nets (8-23) with 29 points, and Kris Humphries had 24 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pacers (18-12) had not lost even two games in a row until this recent losing streak. The Pacers host the Charlotte Bobcats - the worst team in the NBA with a 3-26 record - on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
