| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- With Dan Majerle sidelined, Reggie Miller took advantage of the undersized Miami Heat.
|  | | Reggie Miller drives past Voshon Lenard, who bit hard on a pump fake. |
Reggie Miller scored 30 points, hitting jumpers over smaller
defenders, as the Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat 94-84 in a
battle of Eastern Conference leaders.
"They're at a big disadvantage when Dan is not in there,"
Miller said of Majerle, who went on the injured list this week with
a stress fracture. "Throughout the years he has played me the best
because of his size and strength."
The 6-foot-7 Miller was 10-of-22 from the field as the smaller
Anthony Carter (6-1) and Voshon Lenard (6-4) were unable to match
up with him.
"I just wanted to do as good a job as possible of getting in
position," Miller said. "Anytime you get it going early, your
teammates sense that."
Rik Smits added 22 points to help the Pacers extend their winning streak at Conseco Fieldhouse to 15 games.
"We ran some plays where I was able to get some position. It
was one of those nights where I actually think of playing another
couple of years," said Smits, who talked about retiring after last
season and is in the final year of his contract.
The Pacers overcame a 24-point, 18-rebound effort by Alonzo
Mourning and fought Miami's fourth-quarter comeback bid.
"We are not playing particularly well right now. I can play
better," Mourning said. "The better I play, the better this team
is."
The Heat trailed by 20 points early in the second quarter, cut
the deficit to 11 at halftime and were down 79-71 at the start of
the final period.
Miami scored the first three points of the fourth quarter before
Indiana answered with nine consecutive points to lead 88-74. Jalen
Rose hit two free throws with 9:54 left to ignite the run. Sam
Perkins followed with a jumper, Austin Croshere sank a driving
layup and Travis Best gave Indiana its 88-74 lead as Miami hit only
one of its first eight shots to start the period. Miami never drew
closer than 10 points.
"We got to go home and find our way back to playing solid,
basic basketball. We've got to find a lineup that works, right now
this lineup doesn't work," said Miami coach Pat Riley after his
team lost their third consecutive road game for the first time this
season.
"It's just not working without Dan. We lost a lot of our
continuity."
Indiana was outrebounded 52-35, but helped itself by having a
season-low five turnovers. Miami had 11.
"It was important for us anytime they made a run to sustain our
lead, keep our composure. We didn't want to look up at the
scoreboard and wonder what happened to our lead," said Rose, who
had 12 for Indiana to reach double figures for the 12th consecutive
game.
Both teams shot poorly in the fourth period. Miami, which shot
34 percent from the game, was 4-of-19 in the fourth period. Indiana
was 5-of-18.
"With about six minutes to go, we really dominated. It was
tough to score, but we did a good job defensively and on the boards
down the stretch," Indiana coach Larry Bird said.
The Heat, who went into the game shooting a league-leading 36.3
percent from 3-point range, were only 3-of-13 from behind the arc
as the absence of Majerle was evident.
Mashburn and Tim Hardaway both struggled from the field.
Mashburn scored 21 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the field.
Hardaway was 4-of-14 with 14 points.
Game notes
Miami was trying to record three consecutive victories over
Indiana for the first time ever. ... Mourning matched his season
high for rebounds. ... The last time Indiana lost at home was Nov.
25. The Pacers are 18-2 at the new Conseco Fieldhouse and every
game has been a sellout. ... The loss prevented Miami coach Pat
Riley from clinching the job of coaching the East All-Stars. He'll
still get the job if the New York Knicks lose Sunday. ... Mourning
has scored in double figures in 64 consecutive games, his longest
streak since joining Miami. He had a streak of 105 games that began
when he was with Charlotte.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
Heat's Majerle out six weeks with stress fracture
RECAPS
Detroit 90
Philadelphia 88
Minnesota 96
Utah 94
Toronto 106
Chicago 89
Indiana 94
Miami 84
Portland 81
San Antonio 67
Washington 103
Cleveland 98
Charlotte 100
Phoenix 79
Orlando 103
Atlanta 87
Dallas 107
Denver 96
Milwaukee 101
Seattle 99
LA Clippers 98
New Jersey 93
|
