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  Friday, Mar. 17 7:00pm ET
Indiana 111, Houston 102
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Jalen Rose had a career-high 35 points and Austin Croshere, starting in place of the injured Dale Davis, matched his career-highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers defeated Houston 111-102 Friday night.

It was the sixth consecutive loss for Houston, which trailed by double figures for most of the game.

After the Pacers built a 23-point lead in the first half, Houston cut its deficit to 107-102 on a layup by Cuttino Mobley with 2:07 to play. Rose answered with a short jumper and Travis Best made it 111-102 by sinking two free throws with 1:04 to go.

Indiana then sealed the victory as Croshere and Reggie Miller came up with consecutive steals.

Rik Smits contributed 21 points for Indiana. Croshere's double-double was his third straight.

Rose had matched his career-high of 32 points on Wednesday in Atlanta. His point production and 14 field goals were both season-highs for Indiana, and his 24 attempts matched his team-high against Denver on March 7.

Mobley had 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter after Indiana took a 90-76 lead into the period. Shandon Anderson added 22 for Houston.

The Pacers built a 14-point lead in the first period when Smits had 13 points and Rose had nine. A 14-footer by Smits put Indiana ahead 21-7 as the Rockets made just two of their first 11 shots.

The Rockets cut the deficit to eight on a three-point play by Steve Francis with 3:03 left in the opening quarter. Two free throws by Croshere and his tip with one second left in the period gave Indiana a 35-21 advantage after one quarter.

Houston shot just 25 percent (8-of-25) in the first period, while Indiana shot 56.5 in both the first and second quarters to lead 66-45 at halftime.

The Rockets pulled within 11 points with a 9-1 run late in the third quarter. Anderson had four free throws in the run which Francis began by making a 3-pointer.

Houston was 11-of-19 from the field in the fourth period.

Notes: Indiana's sellout streak at Conseco Fieldhouse was extended to 32 games. ... Chris Mullin was placed on the injured list with a torn right calf muscle. Al Harrington, who had been on the injured list since Feb. 29 with a bruised calf muscle, was activated. ... Indiana played without Dale Davis (strained hamstring) and Derrick McKey (strained right leg muscle) ... .Indiana raised its league-best home record to 29-3 and is 13-0 at home against Western Conference teams. ... Smits had one block, giving him the franchise record of 1,095. He was tied with Herb Williams.

 


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RECAPS
Indiana 111
Houston 102

Philadelphia 99
Utah 97

Toronto 95
Orlando 91

Boston 114
Atlanta 90

New York 118
Charlotte 99

LA Lakers 110
Detroit 82

Golden State 95
Chicago 92

Denver 114
LA Clippers 87

Phoenix 101
Vancouver 86