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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The defense kept New York close and Latrell
Sprewell did the rest.
|  | | Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell bobbles the ball as Pacers Travis Best, left, and Al Harrington apply the heat. |
Sprewell scored nine of his 26 points in the final period as the
Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 79-75 Wednesday night.
"We helped on defense and moved the ball to get good shots,"
he said. "We really clamped down in those final minutes. We knew
if they kept scoring we'd be in trouble."
The Knicks held Indiana without a point for the final 4:11, and
Sprewell hit the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds to go.
"The fans here are tough on you," Sprewell said. "They were
(tough) on me. When I made that basket it was my time to get back
at them."
The victory snapped a seven-game road losing streak for the
Knicks and stretched Indiana's losing streak to four games.
The Pacers led 75-69 after Al Harrington's two free throws with
4:11 to go. But Sprewell and Glen Rice then hit back-to-back
3-pointers to tie the game and the Pacers didn't score again.
"We really were tough defensively down the stretch," Knicks
coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It's obvious we've been struggling on
the road. I liked our passion tonight. We were tough."
After the Knicks tied the game, Indiana had two chances to go
back in front, but Jermaine O'Neal missed two free throws with 1:14
to go and Jalen Rose lost the ball out of bounds with 32 seconds
left.
Sprewell then hit from 14 feet to give the Knicks their first
lead since midway through the second quarter. Travis Best, who
started in place of the suspended Reggie Miller, missed a 20-footer
and Rice rebounded with three seconds to go.
Rice, who finished with 16 points, was fouled by Rose and hit
two free throws for the final points of the game.
"We weren't getting to our spots and doing the right things,"
said Best, who had nine points but missed his final nine shots.
"You have to give some credit to their defense, too. They played
aggressive, they were getting in front of guys when we were trying
to post the ball up.
"You have to have other options, and we weren't getting the
options where we needed to be," Best said.
The Pacers managed only one field goal over the last 5:12 and
were outscored 18-6 in the final nine minutes.
"New York does that to you," said Rose, who led Indiana with
21 points but was scoreless in the fourth quarter. "They have the
kind of game plan that stifles the whole offensive flow of the
game. We just didn't find a way to get the shots we wanted."
O'Neal added 17 points and 14 rebounds and tied his career-high
with seven blocked shots.
Miller was suspended for one game by the NBA for throwing a wad
of chewing gum that hit an official late in the Pacers' 97-83 loss
at New York on Tuesday.
"It always hurts when you miss a Hall of Fame-caliber player.
But that's no excuse for us not winning," Rose said. "We still
had a great opportunity to win. A play here, a play there, a call
here, a call there ... but in order to win ball games, you've got
to do all of those things, and we didn't."
New York led by six points late in the first quarter, but Rose
pulled the Pacers within one with a basket and an off-balance,
desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer. A layup by Best gave Indiana
its first lead early in the second quarter.
There were four more lead changes and six ties before the
halftime break.
Six straight free throws by Rose put the Pacers up 37-35. After
another tie at 41, Rose scored again and O'Neal hit two free throws
with 21 seconds left to put Indiana up 45-41 as the first half
ended.
The Knicks pulled within one with a basket and free throw by
Kurt Thomas, but Indiana quickly pushed the lead to seven on
consecutive 3-pointers by Sam Perkins and took a 64-57 lead into
the final period.
Game notes
The Knicks' last victory on the road was 103-100 at Miami
on Feb. 4. ... Before the game, the Pacers activated Terry Mills
and put center Bruno Sundov on the injured list with a strained
left groin. ... Mark Jackson, who left the Pacers as a free agent
at the end of last season, is 5-0 against his former teammates --
three victories with Toronto and two wins since his trade to the
Knicks two weeks ago. ... With Best starting in place of Miller,
the Pacers have used 15 different starting combinations this
season. ... New York hit 11 of 12 first-half free throws. The only
miss was an air ball by Marcus Camby, who smiled briefly as the
catcalls rained down from the stands. ... Best left the game after
getting a slight cut above his right eye as he dived for a loose
ball midway through the second quarter; he returned with 21 seconds
left in the period.
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RECAPS
Milwaukee 101
Boston 94
New York 79
Indiana 75
Philadelphia 102
New Jersey 94
Houston 104
Atlanta 98
Washington 88
Cleveland 83
Dallas 93
Miami 86
Orlando 112
Detroit 102
Sacramento 100
Phoenix 89
Utah 86
Seattle 82
LA Lakers 97
Toronto 85
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