|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
GAME FLOW
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Clippers nearly pulled off
the impossible -- or at least, the improbable.
But The Indiana Pacers delivered the Clippers a reality check.
Jalen Rose scored eight of his 18 points in the final 3½ minutes as the Pacers rallied for an 85-82 victory over the Clippers on
Monday night.
Jermaine O'Neal had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the defending
Eastern Conference champs, who beat the Clippers for the 13th time
in 14 meetings -- and barely prevented them from completing a
two-game sweep of the NBA finalists last season on consecutive
nights.
The Clippers, fresh off a stunning 118-95 upset over the
defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, got 17 points from
Jeff McInnis. Rookie Darius Miles had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
"It's never a good time to play anybody, especially after they
have an emotional win," Rose said. "Anytime you win a game, that
means you're confident. We knew they were going to come out and
play hard tonight, and they did."
The victory gave the Pacers consecutive victories for the first time
since Dec. 8-9, against Boston and Charlotte. Reggie Miller scored
only 11 points in 41 minutes, but hit a clutch basket down the
stretch to seal the Clippers' fate.
Earl Boykins, the explosive 5-foot-5 guard who helped slay the
Lakers in his Clippers debut, hit a pair of jumpers to help extend
the Clippers' lead to 77-70 with 5:24 remaining.
The Pacers, who missed their first eight shots in the fourth
quarter, responded with a 9-0 spurt to pull ahead 79-77 with 2:19
to play.
After Lamar Odom tied it with a pair of free throws, Rose put
the Pacers back in front to stay on a 13-footer with 1:24 left.
Austin Croshere's layup made it 83-79.
The Clippers cut it to two twice after that, the second time on
a free throw by Cherokee Parks with 7.4 seconds left. Derrick
McKey, who rebounded Parks' second free throw, made one of two at
the other end before Odom missed a game-tying 3-pointer at the
buzzer.
One night after their highest scoring game of the season, the
Clippers missed seven of their first eight shots and trailed 27-15
after one quarter.
A disgusted Alvin Gentry motioned five of his reserves off the
bench after watching his extremely young starting lineup fall
behind 13-3 in the first 5:22 of play. But the dead-ball timeout
the Clippers' coach was hoping for never materialized, and Gentry
had to wait more than 2½ minutes before pulling Odom, McInnis,
Miles, Quentin Richardson and Michael Olowokandi at the 8:34 mark.
"We weren't embarrassed, but when you see five guys coming in
at one time, you know you're not getting the job done," said Odom,
who finished with 13 points and a sore left wrist after blocking
Croshere's shot with 9:53 left. "So we knew we just had to turn it
up."
The next time all the starters -- except Richardson -- were on the
court, the Clippers went on a 14-0 run that sliced a 16-point
deficit to 39-37 with 2:52 left in the half.
"Our team is getting better every game," Clippers forward
Corey Maggette said. "We learn something every game. When we hit
that turning point, people better watch out."
Eleven of the Clippers' 24 losses have been by six points or
fewer.
Game notes
The Clippers, who had the league's worst record last
season, are one of only two teams scheduled to play both of the NBA finalists of last year on consecutive nights. The other is the
Chicago Bulls, who had the second-worst record. ... The Clippers
got instant results -- VIP-wise -- after beating the Lakers for the
first time in 17 attempts. Lakers regular Sherry Lansing, the
president of Paramount motion picture group, attended her very
first Clippers game in a front-row seat next to Clippers owner
Donald Sterling and his wife. ... The Clippers' victory over the
Lakers was technically a home game for the Lakers, who share
Staples Center with them. The Clippers had lost all 31 previous
road games against defending NBA champions during their 20 seasons
under Sterling's ownership. They were 7-55 altogether during that
span -- including 19 consecutive defeats against defending champs before beating the Lakers.
|
|
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
LA Clippers Clubhouse
RECAPS
Portland 98
Boston 90
Cleveland 92
New Jersey 90
Miami 88
Golden State 78
Dallas 104
Chicago 91
Indiana 85
LA Clippers 82
Sacramento 100
Minnesota 97
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Reggie Miller Official Site
|
