|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Friday, Nov. 26 7:45pm ET
Pacers please Bird in win over Grizzlies | |||||
|
| ||||||
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Indiana's balanced scoring, accurate shooting, and stingy defense was a welcome relief to Pacers coach Larry Bird and the sellout crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse as Indiana snapped a two-game losing streak Friday night. Rik Smits led seven Pacers in double figures with 17 points as Indiana cruised to a 105-86 victory over Vancouver. Jalen Rose scored 15 points while Dale Davis and Travis Best each added 14 for the Pacers, who shot 53 percent from the field and scored 24 points off 17 Vancouver turnovers. "I think our defense won it for us tonight," said Smits, who tied a season-high with three blocked shots. "When we play good defense, we give ourselves a chance to win." Reggie Miller was limited to 11 points on three of eight shooting. Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 22 for the Grizzlies, who dropped their sixth straight game and lost their 28th consecutive road contest dating back to last season. But on offense, Austin Croshere and Chris Mullin combined for 21 of the Pacers 28 points in the fourth quarter. Croshere hit four of his five shots in the final period, including all three from the line. Mullin scored all 10 of his points in the fourth, connecting on 3-of-4, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. "We had to expect more from ourselves on both sides of the ball," said Croshere. "I'd been taking my shots and not rushing them (before tonight), but my rhythm was off. Something just clicked for me in the final period." Othella Harrington and Bryant Reeves added 16 and 11 points respectively for the Grizzlies, who shot 41 percent from the field. "Overall, it was a lackadaisical effort," said Grizzlies' Coach Brian Hill. "No one feels sorry for us, we earn everything we get. Tonight, we just weren't into the game." Indiana, which never trailed in the contest, used a 9-0 run early in the second quarter to build a 37-28 advantage. Nine Vancouver turnovers in the first half resulted in 16 points for the Pacers and a 52-41 advantage at the break. "It surprises me that the effort wasn't there," said Abdur-Rahim. "We recognized our poor effort at halftime and I think we played harder in the second half. If we had recognized that in the first half, we probably would have given a much better effort." Game notesIndiana is 8-0 all-time against Vancouver .... Despite posting a 3-9 record, Vancouver has outshot its opponents in six of 12 games this season. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Vancouver Clubhouse Indiana Clubhouse RECAPS Milwaukee 114 Boston 112
Indiana 105
  | |||||