Notebook: Pacers 104, Jazz 99

Posted Tuesday February 7, 2012 10:55PM

Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: What looked like a routine dismantling took a surprising turn as Indiana blew a 21-point lead to fall behind in the fourth quarter. But Danny Granger came alive just in time, scoring 12 of his 16 points to help the Pacers recover to beat Utah 104-99 Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Darren Collison's season-high 25 points and Roy Hibbert's 10th double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) carried the Pacers (17-7) much of the night but Granger, who was 0-of-6 in the first half, stepped forward down the stretch. Paul Millsap led Utah (13-11) with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

QUOTABLE: "Give them credit for not quitting. We understand big leads are never safe in the NBA. D.C. carried us early and Danny got hot late. When it came down to it, we made the plays at crunch time. Our greatest weapon is the ability to move the ball, find the open man with five guys who can score."
-- Indiana Coach Frank Vogel

THE STAT: Indiana is one of three teams, along with the Bulls and 76ers, to have avoided consecutive losses this season. The Pacers are 7-0 after defeats with an average victory margin of 10.4 points.

TURNING POINT: Indiana lead 71-50 early in the third quarter but Utah made 11 of 12 while the Pacers missed 10 in a row and the result was a 35-13 run that put the visitors ahead 85-84 early in the fourth quarter. Granger scored four straight buckets to stem the rally, added a clutch jumper with 25 seconds left that made it 102-97 and closed it out with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "It had me groggy all day and into tonight. I was a little late and slow on transition plays and just as bit slow overall. It almost cost us but we were able to pull out the fourth quarter and get this done. We knew we could but we just had to play hard and make it happen."
-- Granger on taking sleep medication the night before.

HOT: Collison had his second 20-point game in the past four, hitting 10 of 14 shots. He also had five assists without a turnover. Millsap made the most of his seven shots, making five and hitting all eight of his free throws for his 18 points.

NOT: Indiana's bench continues to struggle since losing sixth man George Hill to an ankle injury. The reserves were outscored 36-24.

QUOTABLE III: "It was great coming home and it was a lot of fun playing in front of my friends and especially my family. It was great hearing some of the response from the fans that were supporting me. And even with the loss, this was good experience."
-- Utah forward Gordon Hayward, an Indianapolis product and former Butler University star.

GOOD MOVE: Fully aware of Utah's troubles containing quick point guards, Vogel turned Collison loose from the outset and he controlled the tempo of the game, getting to the basket with ease. Collison normally plays a secondary role as a scorer but was very much in the spotlight against Devin Harris.

BAD MOVE: Granger took sleep medication the night before and it left him groggy for much of the game. He missed his first six shots and was 1-of-8 until the fourth quarter.

IN THE ARENA: Butler Coach Brad Stevens was on hand to see Hayward, who had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes. Also in the crowd were two of Hayward's former college teammates, including guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

NOTABLE: Paul George had another solid all-around game for Indiana with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals. He has 11 steals in the past three games. ... Jeff Foster missed his 12th consecutive game with a sore lower back and he isn't expected to play Wednesday in Atlanta. He will be re-evaluated Thursday in hopes of joining the team for Friday's game in Memphis. ... Hill has missed four in a row with a chip fracture in his left ankle. ... Former Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley did not make the trip to Indianapolis. Instead, he remained in New York, where the Jazz lost to the Knicks Monday night, to attend to a personal matter. ... The Pacers tied a season-low with just eight turnovers.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Wednesday @ Atlanta, Friday @ Memphis, Saturday vs. Denver. For the Jazz, Friday vs. Oklahoma City, Sunday @ Memphis, Monday a@ New Orleans.