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Granger hits three-pointer to beat Suns at buzzer
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Danny Granger (33) and Mike Dunleavy (17) celebrate Granger's buzzer-beater
that lifted them past the Suns on Wednesday night. (AP Photo: Matt York)
Danny Granger equaled his career high with 37 points on Wednesday night, but none were bigger than the three he scored at the buzzer to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Suns 113-110.
The Suns, who had trailed the entire game, got their first lead with 45 seconds left in the fourth from a Leandro Barbosa three ball, but Granger tied the game back up at 110 with 34 seconds to go.
Phoenix played without the NBA's eighth all-time leading scorer, center Shaquille O’Neal, who missed due to back spasms, and point guard Steve Nash played with the flu despite missing the morning shootaround.
In O’Neal’s absence, rookie Robin Lopez got the start but played just five minutes the entire game, mainly because of his early foul trouble (he had four).
The Suns did however get a powerful performance from Louis Amundson who had a career-best 14 rebounds to go along with his nine points. The home crowd serenaded him with an appreciative “Louuuuuu” for the second game in a row.
Despite having five players score in double figures, led by Amar’e Stoudemire’s 23 and 11 rebounds, the Suns shot just 42.5 percent from the field, and made only 7 of their 20 three-point attempts.
Stoudemire posted one of three Phoenix double-doubles, with Nash’s 16 points and game-high 12 assists, and Jason Richardson’s 16 points and 10 rebounds being the others.
Surprisingly, the Pacers didn’t have a single player with a double-double, despite having six players score in double digits.
The Suns trailed by as many as 16 in the game and were down 102-91 with just over seven minutes remaining in the contest. A 19-6 run by the Suns gave them their first lead of the game, but then Granger’s final two shots ended the comeback and the game.
Phoenix will host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night, a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN. The Mavericks won their first meeting a month ago in Dallas, 112-97.
