The Indiana Pacers stacked another strong effort on their current string of solid games when they beat the Washington Wizards last night.

Since the New York Knicks smoked the Pacers in back-to-back games in mid-March, the Pacers are 8-3 with only one real clunker against the Nets. I'm not going to complain about ugly wins and in the last four games the Pacers have closed strong when it was winning time in the fourth quarter. That wasn't enough to overcome the Spurs but it has been enough to move them into third place in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers standing can change quickly with just 12 games to go especially with Oklahoma City and Boston on the schedule, but they are in great shape to take their best shot at the Thunder. Darren Collison mentioned after the win last night how he and his teammates are really looking forward to the test from OKC. That's the perfect attitude to take and it helps not having the pressure of a bad loss hanging over their heads. Should be a fun weekend.

Check out the links after the jump. Also, with the way Danny Granger has been playing I had to alter the caption for the picture with this post.

• Box score: Pacers 109, Wizards 96
• Rewind: Pacers vs. Wizards 120404 | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
• Pacers led by Darren Collison's big night in win over Wizards | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Wizards vs. Pacers: Well-rounded effort leads Indiana to eighth win in 11 games despite Jordan Crawford’s 28 points - The Washington Post
• Pacers notebook:Team climbs to No. 3 seed in playoff race, but pursuers close behind | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Can't-miss Pacers keep rolling, top Wizards 109-96 - NBA - AP
• Pacers Vs. Wizards Final Score: John Wall's Struggles Continue In Washington's 109-96 Loss - Bullets Forever
• Pacers: Blue and Gold wear the Wiz down, but the real test comes Friday | Pacers Insider | The Indianapolis Star | IndyStar.com
• Post-Game Grades: Pacers Wax Wizards | Eight Points, Nine Seconds
• NY Knicks coach Mike Woodson has one-on-one talk with J.R. Smith about guard's ejection against Indiana Pacers - NY Daily News