Indiana 111, Charlotte 88

Danny Granger went off for 33 points on 11-of-19 shooting and Tyler Hansbrough added 24 points as the visiting Indiana Pacers cruised past the Charlotte Bobcats, 111-88, on Wednesday.

Roy Hibbert collected 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers (32-40), who increased their lead to three games over the Bobcats (28-42) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers were up by just a point, 54-53, at the break but took over in the third quarter as Granger went for 10 points in the frame and Brandon Rush hit three 3-pointers to stretch the lead out to 87-72.

The Bobcats briefly made a move to get back into it early in the fourth, cutting it to 92-79 when Shaun Livingston hit a pair of free throws following a flagrant foul call on Jeff Foster. But Indiana responded with a 10-0 burst over the next four minutes to put it away.

D.J. Augustin scored 17 points for Charlotte, which has dropped four games in a row.

• Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Bobcats have a W/L % of .393 after a win and .405 after a loss.
• Indiana will play their next game at home against Sacramento. The Pacers have a W/L % of .387 after a win and .488 after a loss.