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Friday, Apr. 6 8:00pm ET
Miller scores 28 to lead Pacers' comeback

RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Nothing comes easy these days for the Indiana Pacers. Not even a victory against the NBA's worst team.

Reggie Miller scored 28 points and Jalen Rose added 17 as the Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Chicago 100-93 on Friday night, improving their playoff chances.

"I thought they came out and played pretty hard," said Pacers forward Jeff Foster, who had a career-high 15 points and 10 rebounds. "Freddie (Hoiberg) was hitting some shots and Elton (Brand) was hitting some tough shots. When they do that, it's pretty hard to beat them."

Perhaps the Pacers should have expected as much. After all, it's been that kind of season.

The defending Eastern Conference champions are locked in a tough battle with Boston for the final playoff spot in the East. The victory Friday night, coupled with Boston's 100-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, gave the Pacers a 1 1/2-game lead on the Celtics.

But the victory proved more difficult than many would have imagined.

"Chicago is the kind of team that hangs around a lot of games," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "You're not going to beat them by 20 or 25 points because they are still playing and are still playing hard."

The Pacers found out just how difficult that can be -- even against an opponent that has now lost 23 straight on the road.

Chicago outrebounded and outshot Indiana from 3-point range.

The Bulls also managed to shoot 48.6 percent from the field against a team that ranks among the NBA's best in defensive field-goal percentage, and they didn't allow Indiana to lead by more than seven until the final 13.3 seconds.

"We knew Chicago was going to be tough," said Travis Best, who had 10 assists and six steals. "With them shooting 50 percent, we knew we had to step up our defense. We got it done on the defensive end."

That took time.

Indiana built a 55-49 lead 90 seconds into the third quarter. Then Jermaine O'Neal drew a technical foul, an offensive foul and a flagrant within a 10-second span.

O'Neal was ejected following the flagrant foul, and Chicago took advantage by grabbing the lead, then using a 9-2 run to extend its edge to 74-68 with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

"It was there to be had," said Brand, who finished with 30 points and nine rebounds. "We knew they would play hard, they're vying for a playoff spot. They came to play, and we came to play, too."

But the Pacers, who trailed 80-77 after three quarters, regained the lead at 86-85 when Rose hit a 5-footer with 7:10 left. Indiana followed that with an 8-1 spurt, which made it 94-88 with 2:07 to go.

Hoiberg then hit a 3-pointer to make it 94-91 with 1:04 left. He finished with 17 points against his former team. But Miller and Foster combined to sink six free throws in the final 28 seconds to wrap up the victory.

"In the fourth quarter, we were bearing down and we held them under 20 points," Miller said. "I believe that's really good."

Game notes
Chicago has lost six straight to Indiana, including all four at Conseco Fieldhouse. ... Indiana is 13-13 against the Central Division. The Pacers have had seven straight winning seasons against the Central. ... O'Neal suffered a cut lower lip that required six stitches during the first quarter. ... Best's six steals sent him past Steve Stipanovich and into ninth place on the team's all-time list.

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NBA Scoreboard

Chicago Clubhouse

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RECAPS
Philadelphia 96
Cleveland 88

LA Lakers 100
Boston 96

Miami 81
Charlotte 76

Toronto 108
Orlando 100

Indiana 100
Chicago 93

Minnesota 101
Phoenix 88

Sacramento 118
Vancouver 90

Portland 122
Golden State 91

LA Clippers 113
Milwaukee 110

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Reggie Miller makes a steal and goes the other way for a layup.
avi: 495 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1

audio
 Jalen Rose says the Pacers control their own destiny.
wav: 100 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6


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