RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Golden State's young stars took an early
lead, and Indiana's youngsters took it back. Finally, it was a
veteran who made the biggest shot.
Chris Mills hit a jumper with 22.3 seconds left as the Warriors,
after blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter, held on to
beat Indiana 99-95 Thursday night.
Remarkably, the 5-11 Warriors swept their season series with the
defending Eastern Conference champions. Golden State also beat
Indiana 92-90 on Nov. 17, becoming the first Western Conference
team to beat the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse during the regular
season.
"We get fired up to go against the best teams in this league,"
said Mills, who has hit two last-second game-winners at Oakland
Arena this year. "We showed some heart and some fire, especially
after losing last night (to the Clippers)."
In a battle of two young and sometimes disorganized teams,
Golden State began the second half with a 22-7 run and was up 88-70
early in the fourth quarter.
Led by the rebounding and scoring of Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana
chipped away at the lead for 10 minutes, and the Pacers tied it at
95 on Reggie Miller's layup with 42 seconds left.
"The young guys did a good job of getting back into the game,"
Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "They played hard in the fourth
quarter and played better defense."
After Mills scored the last of his season-high 19 points on a
short shot, Travis Best drove the lane for Indiana and fumbled the
ball to Larry Hughes, who was fouled.
Hughes hit two free throws to clinch the win. He led the
Warriors with a season-high 29 points, while Bob Sura had a
season-high 18 points and nine rebounds.
O'Neal led five Pacers in double figures with 18 points and 13
rebounds. Miller had 17 points.
"We're not playing very much defense right now. It's been
killing us," O'Neal said. "We have to be more aware on the court
at all times."
Until the fourth quarter, Golden State controlled the game with
strong offensive play from its backcourt of Hughes and Sura, who
don't pass much but are capable of scoring points in bunches.
Hughes sprained his left thumb during Wednesday night's loss to
the Clippers, but it didn't seem to affect his 10-of-22 shooting.
He even threw down a vicious one-handed alley-oop from Sura with
the hand, which was wrapped in a bandage.
"Getting a win makes you feel a whole lot better when you're
hurting," Hughes said. "I just put it out of my mind."
Indiana dropped to 0-6 against Western Conference teams this
season despite controlling the boards 54-43 against Golden State,
the NBA's best rebounding team for the third straight year. Best
had 14 points and eight assists.
In another effort to shake up his 6-8 team, Pacers coach Isiah
Thomas gave youngsters O'Neal, Jeff Foster and Jonathan Bender
extensive playing time in the fourth quarter. O'Neal pushed around
Erick Dampier down low, and Best led the offensive charge in
Indiana's comeback.
The Pacers didn't look much like the team that stretched the
Lakers to six games in last year's Finals. That's because they
aren't, Jalen Rose said.
"(Former coach) Larry (Bird) had a veteran team that understood
what it was like to show up at the arena and be professional,"
said Rose, who had 13 points and six assists. "Isiah has a team
that he has to teach how to go out and get wins. We are
experiencing a learning curve right now."
The perennially underachieving Warriors are showing signs of
life, at least by their low standards. Golden State's five
victories in November are the club's most since the 1995-96
season.
Game
notes
Rose carried on a running dialogue with courtside hecklers,
who can be heard with remarkable acuity in the quiet Oakland Arena.
... Former San Francisco 49ers star Ronnie Lott and current 49ers
offensive guard Ray Brown sat courtside. ... The entire crowd
groaned and booed when Jamison missed two free throws with 0.6
seconds to play. One more point would have given everyone in
attendance a free chalupa.
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NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chicago 91
Atlanta 82
Milwaukee 108
Boston 97
Houston 109
Denver 105
Portland 95
Dallas 84
Seattle 121
LA Lakers 88
Golden State 99
Indiana 95
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