Jackson leads Pacers past Warriors

Austin Croshere added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who have won two of three after a four-game losing streak. Danny Granger had 13 points for Indiana, which played its third straight game without Jermaine O’Neal. The forward continues to miss time with his illness.

Mike Dunleavy paced the Warriors with 19 points and Jason Richardson added 17. Richardson, however, missed a key shot that could have tied the game with just over 1:20 left in the game, as Golden State has dropped two straight.

After trailing by as many as 22 points, the Warriors made it a one possession game late.

Down 89-81, Golden State went on a 8-2 burst to draw within two. After a pair of Derek Fisher free throws made it a 91-89 game with 1:46 left, Indiana’s Sarunas Jasikevicius missed a three-point attempt 10 seconds later that would have increased the lead.

However, given a chance to tie the game, Richardson to an ill-advised off- balance jumper in the lane with time still on the shot clock and 1:22 remaining on the game clock.

The Pacers grabbed the rebound, called a time out and regrouped. Coming out of the time out, Jackson hit a clutch up-and-under basket to increase the lead to 93-89 despite missing the ensuing free throw to complete the three-point play with 1:06 on the clock.

From there, the Pacers continued to cruise to the final buzzer.

Jasikevicius ended with 12 points for the Pacers, who improved to 1-1 on their four-game road trip.

Indiana led 6-5 in the early stages when the club went on a 28-9 burst over the final 10 minutes of the opening quarter to take a commanding lead. The Pacers opened the burst by scoring seven straight points and then 12 of 14 to go ahead 18-7 on a David Harrison bucket with a little more than half of the stanza gone.

Later, Jasikevicius’ three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining ended the quarter’s scoring and staked the Pacers to a 34-14 cushion.

Indiana increased the lead to 22 points on a Jackson basket nearly four minutes into the second quarter, but Golden State began to chip away after that.

By the midway point of the frame the Warriors’ deficit was cut to 40-25 and Golden State went into the third down 56-41.

The Warriors mounted a serious rally in the third quarter. Richardson’s three- pointer with 4 1/2 minutes remaining until the fourth cut the deficit to single digits for the first time, 66-57.

Baron Davis’ basket later made it an eight point game 68-60 in favor of Indiana, but the Pacers quickly extended to a 73-60 lead before going into the final 12 minutes with a 73-64 advantage.

Davis ended with 16 points for the Warriors, who will be off until next Wednesday when they host Miami.

Game Notes

Indiana shot 45.9 from the field...Golden State ended 43.4 percent from the floor...The Pacers improved to 7-9 on the road...The Warriors fell to 9-8 at home...Indiana has won four of five versus the Warriors.