Pooh
01-17-2004, 03:09 AM
By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider
January 16, 2004 - 11:45 PM
Reggie Miller exploded for 28 points, including seven 3-pointers, and the defense held Tim Duncan to 4-of-18 shooting while limiting San Antonio to 33 points in the second half as the Pacers gained revenge for a frustrating one-point overtime loss last Saturday with a solid 89-79 victory over the Spurs before 18,044 in Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night.
The Pacers scored 16 unanswered points in the first quarter to take an 18-4 lead. It was the third game in a row in which the Spurs trailed by double-figures in the first quarter.
The Spurs countered with a 24-5 burst that covered most of the second period and resulted in a 44-35 lead. The Pacers trailed 46-39 at the half in large part due to the Spurs' 14-1 advantage in free throws made.
Miller came up with big shots at every critical juncture. He scored eight in the first quarter as the Pacers used a 16-4 run to gain an early 21-6 advantage. After the Spurs turned momentum around in the second quarter, Miller hit consecutive 3-pointers to wipe out a 46-39 halftime deficit and put the Pacers ahead 47-46 early in the third quarter. And with the Spurs trailing 81-73, he drained the dagger 3-pointer with 48 seconds left.
While Miller knocked 'em down, Jermaine O'Neal set 'em up, scoring eight points in a crirical 14-5 fourth-quarter run that opened a 79-69 lead. He added a pair of free throws and a punctuating dunk to close out his 12-point fourth quarter.
“I thought everybody did their part tonight. We were disappointed with last weekend." Miler said afterwards. "You just have to play at a high level of intensity against those good West teams. Like I said, we were really disappointed with Atlanta and we almost got ourselves into that trouble again that we had to play from behind to win. It will be good to keep us playing well."
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle talked about his teams' performance against the defending champs.
“It’s a great win for us and obviously it was a tough game. We got off to a great start, and then San Antonio pulled itself together and took the lead." Carlisle said. "Then our guys decided to lay it all on the line and Reggie Miller, again, his shot making was a big factor. I think he (Reggie) is trying to tell me he wants more minutes. This was a bona fide, big-time game, we had a light workout yesterday and I think he felt he had some spring to his legs. We needed him on a night like this where we were struggling. I think he’s sending a not-so-veiled message that he’s too old is a bit premature. When you play San Antonio, Duncan is the guy you talk about the most. We wanted to keep a big body on him all night and Jeff and Scot did a good job on him."
The Pacers won for the ninth time in 10 games and improved their overall record to 30-11, the franchise's best ever at the midpoint of an NBA season. They also snapped a three-game losing streak to the Spurs. San Antonio lost its third in a row and dropped to 26-14 overall.
The Pacers shot 42% overall but were 10-17 from the 3-point line (thanks largely to Miller's 7-9 accuracy). They were outrebounded 48-46, but forced 18 turnovers, including 14 steals. Miller's 28 points represented his second-biggest game of the season, and he added 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. He was 10-15 from the field. Jermaine O'Neal battled early foul trouble but finished strong with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.
The Pacers held San Antonio to just 33 points on 13-43 shooting (.302) while committing 11 turnovers in the second half. Tim Duncan was their high scorer with 16 points, adding 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 blocked shots, but was 4-18 from the floor.
Another big game awaits the Pacers on Saturday in New Jersey against the defending Eastern Conference champion Nets. The teams have split two meetings this season, with the Pacers winning 87-81 at New Jersey on Nov. 6 and the Nets coming back to take an 82-75 decision in Conseco Fieldhouse on Dec. 27. The latter game was marked by the second-half benching of Ron Artest by coach Rick Carlisle, who then criticized the entire team after the game. The Pacers followed that loss by winning nine of ten.
Game Time Saturday night is at 8pm (EST)
January 16, 2004 - 11:45 PM
Reggie Miller exploded for 28 points, including seven 3-pointers, and the defense held Tim Duncan to 4-of-18 shooting while limiting San Antonio to 33 points in the second half as the Pacers gained revenge for a frustrating one-point overtime loss last Saturday with a solid 89-79 victory over the Spurs before 18,044 in Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night.
The Pacers scored 16 unanswered points in the first quarter to take an 18-4 lead. It was the third game in a row in which the Spurs trailed by double-figures in the first quarter.
The Spurs countered with a 24-5 burst that covered most of the second period and resulted in a 44-35 lead. The Pacers trailed 46-39 at the half in large part due to the Spurs' 14-1 advantage in free throws made.
Miller came up with big shots at every critical juncture. He scored eight in the first quarter as the Pacers used a 16-4 run to gain an early 21-6 advantage. After the Spurs turned momentum around in the second quarter, Miller hit consecutive 3-pointers to wipe out a 46-39 halftime deficit and put the Pacers ahead 47-46 early in the third quarter. And with the Spurs trailing 81-73, he drained the dagger 3-pointer with 48 seconds left.
While Miller knocked 'em down, Jermaine O'Neal set 'em up, scoring eight points in a crirical 14-5 fourth-quarter run that opened a 79-69 lead. He added a pair of free throws and a punctuating dunk to close out his 12-point fourth quarter.
“I thought everybody did their part tonight. We were disappointed with last weekend." Miler said afterwards. "You just have to play at a high level of intensity against those good West teams. Like I said, we were really disappointed with Atlanta and we almost got ourselves into that trouble again that we had to play from behind to win. It will be good to keep us playing well."
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle talked about his teams' performance against the defending champs.
“It’s a great win for us and obviously it was a tough game. We got off to a great start, and then San Antonio pulled itself together and took the lead." Carlisle said. "Then our guys decided to lay it all on the line and Reggie Miller, again, his shot making was a big factor. I think he (Reggie) is trying to tell me he wants more minutes. This was a bona fide, big-time game, we had a light workout yesterday and I think he felt he had some spring to his legs. We needed him on a night like this where we were struggling. I think he’s sending a not-so-veiled message that he’s too old is a bit premature. When you play San Antonio, Duncan is the guy you talk about the most. We wanted to keep a big body on him all night and Jeff and Scot did a good job on him."
The Pacers won for the ninth time in 10 games and improved their overall record to 30-11, the franchise's best ever at the midpoint of an NBA season. They also snapped a three-game losing streak to the Spurs. San Antonio lost its third in a row and dropped to 26-14 overall.
The Pacers shot 42% overall but were 10-17 from the 3-point line (thanks largely to Miller's 7-9 accuracy). They were outrebounded 48-46, but forced 18 turnovers, including 14 steals. Miller's 28 points represented his second-biggest game of the season, and he added 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. He was 10-15 from the field. Jermaine O'Neal battled early foul trouble but finished strong with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.
The Pacers held San Antonio to just 33 points on 13-43 shooting (.302) while committing 11 turnovers in the second half. Tim Duncan was their high scorer with 16 points, adding 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 blocked shots, but was 4-18 from the floor.
Another big game awaits the Pacers on Saturday in New Jersey against the defending Eastern Conference champion Nets. The teams have split two meetings this season, with the Pacers winning 87-81 at New Jersey on Nov. 6 and the Nets coming back to take an 82-75 decision in Conseco Fieldhouse on Dec. 27. The latter game was marked by the second-half benching of Ron Artest by coach Rick Carlisle, who then criticized the entire team after the game. The Pacers followed that loss by winning nine of ten.
Game Time Saturday night is at 8pm (EST)