RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Muhammad Ali was the Indiana Pacers' sixth man Friday night.

The former heavyweight champion's pregame visit to the Pacers' locker room inspired them to beat Utah 89-74 and snap the Jazz's seven-game winning streak.

	Indiana's Rik Smits goes up for a shot over Utah's Olden Polynice on Friday.

"What an emotional boost!," exclaimed Pacers guard Reggie Miller. "We had to win in front of `The Greatest.'"

Miller was 8-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-5 from 3-point range, and finished with 19 points.

He and Sam Perkins, who finished with 15 points, fueled an 18-4 run to stretch a four-point lead to 87-71 with two minutes left in the game. Perkins hit two of his five 3-pointers in the run and Miller scored on a fast-break layup and a baseline drive.

The capacity crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse greeted Ali with a standing ovation after he was introduced as the century's greatest athlete, a title recently given him by "Sports Illustrated." A long line of fans came to meet him at halftime, but only a few got close enough for handshakes and autographs before security people shooed the rest away.

Ali accompanied his 8-year-old son, Asaad, and his son's basketball and baseball teammates from Howard Elementary in Niles, Mich., to the game.

"It was a great lift," said Perkins, who was 5-of-8 on 3-pointers. "Having him there was phenomenal."

Perkins attributed his shooting to "great substitution, calling me at the right time. If (coach Larry Bird) calls me a minute sooner or a minute later, I might not have hit anything."

Both teams shot poorly in the first half. The Pacers, who led 34-30 at halftime, went 30-of-75 (38.5 percent) from the field for the game, to 36.3 percent (29-of-80) for the Jazz.

Karl Malone scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Utah, while Jeff Hornacek added 15 points.

"It was a great defensive game," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "You have to give credit to both teams' defense. We must attribute this loss to their defense."

Rik Smits and Austin Croshere recorded double-doubles for Indiana. Smits scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds; Croshere had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Pacers were the last team to beat the Jazz before their streak, winning 100-75 at Utah on Dec. 3.

Utah is 3-1 on its seven-game road trip. The Pacers have won six straight at home and eight of their last nine.

Game notes
Hornacek, who leads the NBA in free-throw shooting percentage (.972), converted his only two attempts in the second quarter, extending his streak to 53 straight. ... During their last nine games, the Pacers have climbed from 20th in field-goal shooting to ninth. ... In the last 19 games, Pacers forward Dale Davis has scored double digits 12 times, averaging 12.8 points. ... Miller, known more for his scoring than his defense, has recorded 18 steals in the last 11 games.