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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- For three quarters, the Indiana Pacers
didn't even look like themselves.
|  | | Jalen Rose, right, scored 14 of his 29 in the fourth quarter. |
Jalen Rose wasn't getting enough shots, Reggie Miller wasn't
hitting enough shots, and the Pacers were in a giant scoring drought.
Then, in the fourth quarter, Rose and Miller came to the rescue
-- again.
Rose scored 14 of his 29 points in the final 12 minutes, and
Miller knocked down a critical 3-pointer as the Pacers pulled away
from the Atlanta Hawks for an 84-76 victory Thursday night.
"Reggie's a prime-time player, but he was battling an illness
tonight," coach Isiah Thomas said after Indiana's third straight
victory. "He didn't feel as good as he usually does. But he hung
in the game and hung around, and at the end of the game it was
Reggie and Jalen."
Until then, though, Miller and Rose looked like many of their
teammates -- lethargic.
The Pacers shot just 27 percent from the field in the first half
and trailed 36-33 after two quarters, their second-lowest half of
the season.
A big reason was the fact that Miller and Rose weren't
themselves. Rose was just 3-of-6 in the first half, while Miller
was 3-of-12.
But on defense, the Pacers excelled.
"What we wanted to do and what we set out to do at the start of
the season, was to make our mark on defense," Thomas said. "So
far, we have made our mark on defense and every night we get better
and better."
The Hawks can attest to that.
They shot 37.2 percent, were outrebounded for only the fourth
time in 16 games and became the third straight Pacers opponent to
score fewer than 80 points. It's the first time since joining the
NBA that the Pacers have held three straight opponents to fewer
than 80 points.
"It was a combination of good defense and the inability to
knock down shots," Atlanta coach Lon Kruger said. "Both teams did
not shoot well, defense had something to do with that and our guys
missed good looks."
Dikembe Mutombo, who had 14 points and 15 rebounds, opened the
fourth quarter with a short hook shot and Brevin Knight followed
with a 19-footer to give the Hawks a 61-56 lead with 11:01
remaining.
Then Rose made two free throws and hit a 17-footer to start a
9-0 run that gave Indiana the lead with 7:40 left.
"Jalen Rose played a good ballgame, especially in the fourth
quarter," Knight said. "He started to feel comfortable with where
our traps were coming from and he shot the ball quick."
The Hawks closed to 67-66, but Rose scored seven of the next
nine Pacers points. And, after Jermaine O'Neal was ejected for
throwing an elbow at the Hawks' Lorenzen Wright, Miller's 3-pointer
gave the Pacers a 76-68 lead -- and the game.
"We struggled early, but Jalen did a great job using his size
against a smaller guard," Miller said. "We're playing much
better. We're noticing a rise in the rankings. We'll use these
three games as a stepping stone."
Wright led the Hawks with 19 points, and Jason Terry had 17.
Game notes
O'Neal started despite missing practice Tuesday with a
sprained ankle. He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds before
being ejected with 3:59 left. ... The Pacers suffered another
injury, though, when forward Austin Croshere sprained his left
ankle late in the first quarter. He returned briefly late in the
second quarter, then left again, Thomas said, because of the
injury. ... Atlanta had outrebounded its opponents in 12 of the
last 15 games entering the game, but the Pacers finished with a
53-45 advantage.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 84
Atlanta 76
Dallas 115
Orlando 106
Portland 85
Miami 74
Detroit 116
Chicago 110
Houston 112
Golden State 104
Boston 82
LA Clippers 79
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Reggie Miller Official Site
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