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Tuesday, Dec. 7 8:00pm ET
Miller keeps pace in the fourth | |||||
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 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Reggie Miller saved his best for last, scoring 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers defeated the San Antonio 83-77 Tuesday night. The loss was the third straight for the defending NBA champions, all on the road. Indiana, which was held for eight minutes in the second half without a field goal, posted its fourth consecutive victory despite shooting only 36 percent from the field. Indiana missed 14 straight shots during its cold spell.
"I missed some easy shots, had a lot go in and out. That still encourages me, because I'm shooting," said Miller, who was 3-for-12 from the field in the first three quarters and hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. "If I'm not aggressive, and I'm not shooting, that's what hurts the team. I need to shoot the ball and give confidence to my teammates." Miller, who was 5-for-9 from 3-point range, hit a 3-pointer with 1:26 left that gave the Pacers a 81-77 lead. After Tim Duncan missed a jumper and Indiana got the rebound, Miller assisted on a Rik Smits basket. "Reggie had a great drive and dish," Indiana coach Larry Bird said. "That sort of broke the ice for us. Reggie had a great fourth quarter. He kept being aggressive. He just kept getting the ball and trying to make something happen." Tim Duncan had 30 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs. Smits finished with 18 points and Al Harrington contributed 13 points to the victory. Avery Johnson was the only other Spur in double figures with 15 points as David Robinson scored just six points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field. "They made the shots down the stretch and we didn't," San Antonio coach Greg Popovich said. "Our execution was good down the stretch and we got the shots we needed, but they didn't go in." Indiana outrebounded the Spurs 49-47 with Dale Davis grabbing a season-high 16. Robinson led the Spurs with 17 rebounds. Davis had been bothered by a stomach virus and didn't start the second half. "I wasn't sure what it was. I just felt weak and dizzy," said Davis. "We didn't let them run, and that was big." "I go into games thinking my job is to rebound, play defense and put the ball in the hole every once in a while. I've got to play better. No one has to tell me that," Robinson said. "As a team, we are not finding our shooters in rhythm." The Pacers led 42-39 at halftime despite going more than three minutes without a field goal in each of the opening two quarters. Indiana began the game by missing its first four shots and having three turnovers before Smits hit a jumper with 8:44 left in the first period for their first points. Game notesRookie Jonathan Bender, activated before Tuesday's game after starting the season on the injured list with a broken bone in his left wrist, suited up for his first NBA game. Bender, the fourth-overall pick in the draft out of Picayune High School in Louisiana, did not play. ... Indiana placed Zan Tabak on the injured list with a back strain to create a roster spot. ... Duncan has scored in double figures in all 20 games with 18 double-doubles. ... San Antonio had defeated Indiana four straight games, including three in Indiana. ... Indiana has had a sellout of 18,345 for all seven of its games in the new Conseco Fieldhouse. ... Johnson had three assists to become San Antonio's all-time leader with 3,867. He passed Johnny Moore, who finished his career with 3,865. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard San Antonio Clubhouse Indiana Clubhouse RECAPS Toronto 101 Cleveland 98
Indiana 83
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