|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Monday, Dec. 27 8:30pm ET
Pacers look poised vs. Bulls | |||||
|
| ||||||
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- The crowds at the United Center are used to seeing a veteran-heavy team so deep, so talented and so disciplined that it's almost playing a different game than the opponents. But the fans are used to cheering those veterans, not watching them beat the Chicago Bulls. Showing some of the same poise the Bulls used to rule the NBA for so long, the Indiana Pacers beat the Bulls 103-91 Monday night. Dale Davis led five Pacers in double figures with 21 points, Indiana had an 18-point lead after the first quarter and not even a token Chicago rally could fluster the Pacers. "At the beginning of the season, other teams jumped out early and we seemed to be taking a lot of knocks," said Jalen Rose, who finished with 20 points. "But we have a great team and guys that know what has to be done. They're stepping up, especially lately." "We'll be an even better team coming into the playoffs." Consider yourselves warned, Eastern Conference. "Our guys hung in there against a team that will probably be the best in the Eastern Conference," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. It's not just that the Pacers have experience. Or that they have talent. Or that they're deep. It's that they have all three. Rik Smits made four of his first five shots and finished with 15. Travis Best picked up where the starters left off, scoring all 12 of his points in the second quarter, and Reggie Miller had 13 on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Indiana got off to a fast start as Smits made his first two shots and Miller hit a 3-pointer before the game was even three minutes old. By the time Smits followed a hook shot with a 14-foot jumper with 4:39 left in the first quarter, the Pacers had a 21-11 lead. And whenever the Bulls tried to make a run, the Pacers had an answer. "We still gave up too many easy baskets, we're still missing that little edge on help defense," said Dickey Simpkins, who finished with 10 points for Chicago. "Even when we'd cut it within 10, 12 points, they'd come with a 3-point shot from somewhere because of a double-team or some guy got beat. They made big shots to stop our momentum." The loss spoiled B.J. Armstrong's best outing in two years. Armstrong, who missed the early part of the season after knee surgery, scored 21 points. Rookies Ron Artest and Elton Brand led the Bulls with 22 each. Brand also had 13 rebounds. Despite shooting 45 percent -- which is good for the Bulls these days -- Chicago trailed 57-40 at the half, and it didn't get much better in the third quarter. Miller dunked after Mark Jackson heaved the ball downcourt as he went sailing out of bounds, giving Indiana 68-46 lead, its largest of the game. Chicago managed to cut the lead to 76-66 with 2:20 left in the third thanks to a 12-4 run, but it wasn't enough. Davis made three free throws, Jackson had a layup, Austin Croshere hit a 3-pointer and the Pacers were back up 84-68. "They keep coming at you from all angles," Brand said. "They have many players who can do many things."
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Indiana Clubhouse Chicago Clubhouse RECAPS Charlotte 108 Atlanta 104
Indiana 103
San Antonio 105
  | |||||