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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Danny Granger scored 18 of his career-high 44 points in the fourth quarter to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Utah Jazz 122-106 on Friday night.
It was the fourth straight game in which Granger has scored at least 30 points. He made 14 of 23 attempts from the floor, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
Troy Murphy added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers, who set a franchise record with 17 3-pointers.
Indiana overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half to win its fifth straight overall and seventh in a row at home.
Mehmet Okur had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Carlos Boozer had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Deron Williams added 21 points and 12 assists for Utah, which allowed its highest point total of the season.
Utah shot 51 percent in the first half and led 61-54 at the break.
The Jazz extended their lead to 70-58 early in the third quarter, but Indiana got a 3-pointer from Murphy and a three-point play by Roy Hibbert to stay close. A pair of free throws by A.J. Price trimmed Utah's lead to 71-66.
Indiana again trimmed its deficit to five before Williams made a 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key while falling, then a layup during a 7-0 run that put the Jazz up 80-68 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
The Pacers responded with a 10-0 run that prompted a Utah timeout. Indiana then closed the quarter strong. Hibbert scored on a reverse layup, and Earl Watson lobbed to Josh McRoberts for a thunderous two handed alley-oop dunk to give the Pacers an 87-83 lead heading into the fourth.
Indiana kept it going in the final quarter. Granger hit a 3-pointer from the right corner and was fouled. He converted the four-point play, then hit another 3-pointer. A jumper by Watson made it 96-83 before the Jazz called another timeout to try to regroup after a 28-3 Indiana run.
They couldn't.
NOTES: Hibbert started after missing Wednesday's game against Washington with a sprained jaw. He finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five blocks. ... Pacers G T.J. Ford sat out with a strained left groin. Coach Jim O'Brien said he hasn't been practicing. ... Watson went down with a busted upper lip with 11:31 left in the third. He received two stitches and returned with 2:31 left in the quarter.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
