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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Once Indiana figured out how
to stop Shareef Abdur-Rahim, winning was easy.
Abdur-Rahim scored Vancouver's last 22 points -- including all 20
in the fourth quarter. His final points, a 3-pointer with 21.2
seconds left in regulation, tied the game at 76.
The Pacers then held Vancouver scoreless in overtime and snapped
a two-game losing streak by downing the Grizzlies 86-76 Friday
night.
It was the eighth time in NBA history that a team failed to
score in an overtime period. The last time was on Nov. 21, 1997,
when the Los Angeles Clippers were shut out by Chicago in a second
overtime.
Indiana had a chance to win in regulation, but Austin Croshere's
3-point attempt was short and Vancouver grabbed the rebound.
Jalen Rose scored 28 points, including four in overtime, to lead
the Pacers, who have never lost to Vancouver in 10 meetings.
Abdur-Rahim also finished with 28 points.
"We're going to go at it," Rose said of his scoring battle
with Abdur-Rahim. "We're both competitors and we gotta play well
for our teams to win. Fortunately, my team came out on top. But it
was a hard-fought win."
The win came one night after the Pacers lost for the second time
this year to the Golden State Warriors.
"We still have a long way to go," said Pacers coach Isiah
Thomas. "I think the most important thing for us right now is to
stay committed and start working on our value system, our trust and
communication, out loyalty to each other, our commitment to the
cause."
Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe was not pleased with his team's
effort. The Grizzlies fell behind by 15 points in the first quarter
and never led in the game.
"That was just a poor effort," he said. "We had some guys
that came to play, we had some guys that didn't. This team is
aggressive, they're experienced and they're smart. And we didn't
take on that challenge as a team."
Not even Abdur-Rahim's stellar performance in the second half
impressed Lowe. Abdur-Rahim's 22 consecutive points at the end of
the third quarter and throughout the fourth set a club record. It
was also the first time one player scored all of Vancouver's points
in a quarter.
"Numbers are deceiving sometimes," said Lowe. "You look at
the final numbers and you say a guy played a great game, he did his
job. But when you watch what's happening out on the floor, you get
a different perspective on it. At times he played well, at times he
didn't. Five turnovers is not good, I don't care how many points
you score."
Pacer guard Reggie Miller added 20 points.
"It was nice to get a win," Miller said. "But you've got to
put a little streak together so you can separate yourself from the
pack."
Game notes The Pacers came into Vancouver with an 0-6 record against
the Western conference this season, including 0-4 on the road. The
Grizzlies were 2-2 against the East. ... This was the third game in
a four-game road trip for Indiana. The Pacers will play four of
their next six away from Canseco Fieldhouse. The Grizzlies played
their second game of a four-game homestand. This was the first of
11 home games for the Grizzlies in the month of December against
just four road games.
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NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Vancouver Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 95 Charlotte 74
Toronto 104 LA Clippers 95
Minnesota 102 Boston 98
Utah 94 Miami 92
Orlando 83 New Jersey 80
Detroit 103 Cleveland 93
New York 91 Chicago 86
Indiana 86 Vancouver 76
LA Lakers 109 San Antonio 100
Sacramento 105 Phoenix 98
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