Pooh
10-18-2003, 06:21 PM
Ron Artest put the Pacers in position to win with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. But both coaches cleared their respective benches down the stretch, and Fred Jones took it from there. The second-year guard from Oregon scored all eight of his points in the final seven minutes as the Pacers held off a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-93 Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse
For Jones, it was a chance to finally show the coaching staff what he's got.
“I appreciate the minutes that I have been given and am trying to make the best of them." Jones said. "I think I lost my confidence last year and with the coaching staff and other players on me about being aggressive, taking the shots when they’re there and overall hustling all the time. This is what I’m going to try to continue to do because it will help the team and earn me minutes. Hopefully this year will be a new beginning for me. It’s early but I am going to give it a shot.”
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle was also impressed with his "patch work" group.
“There were some better signs tonight. We competed at a high level throughout the game. That group, anchored by Fred Jones who hit some big shots, showed some savvy and moxy. Fred is doing some good things. He’s taken pride in his defense and his offense is coming along.
Carlisle also beamed about the performance of Ron Artest. " In the absence of Jermaine, Al, Austin, Kenny, we needed someone to get us some scoring. He not only put the ball in the basket, he played at both ends of the floor."
He also like what he is seeing by veteran guard Reggie Miller, who scored 19 pts, second only to Artests' 30. "So far the signs are good. I thought 27 minutes was about the right number for him. We don’t want him to sit for long periods of time. He’s still got a ways to go.”
The Pacers shot well (.485) and had a respectable showing from the free-throw line (23 of 30 for 76.7 percent), but were outrebunded 41-34 and committed 17 turnovers. Artest had 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. Miller scored 19 on 8-of-12 shooting in 27 minutes. Scot Pollard had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Tinsley had 10 points and seven assists.
The Pacers snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their preseason record to 3-2. Minnesota dropped its third in a row and fell to 2-3. Next up is another game with the Boston Celtics, only this time it is in Manchester, NH. The Pacers beat the Celtics 91-90 in Conseco Fieldhouse on Oct. 11.
For Jones, it was a chance to finally show the coaching staff what he's got.
“I appreciate the minutes that I have been given and am trying to make the best of them." Jones said. "I think I lost my confidence last year and with the coaching staff and other players on me about being aggressive, taking the shots when they’re there and overall hustling all the time. This is what I’m going to try to continue to do because it will help the team and earn me minutes. Hopefully this year will be a new beginning for me. It’s early but I am going to give it a shot.”
Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle was also impressed with his "patch work" group.
“There were some better signs tonight. We competed at a high level throughout the game. That group, anchored by Fred Jones who hit some big shots, showed some savvy and moxy. Fred is doing some good things. He’s taken pride in his defense and his offense is coming along.
Carlisle also beamed about the performance of Ron Artest. " In the absence of Jermaine, Al, Austin, Kenny, we needed someone to get us some scoring. He not only put the ball in the basket, he played at both ends of the floor."
He also like what he is seeing by veteran guard Reggie Miller, who scored 19 pts, second only to Artests' 30. "So far the signs are good. I thought 27 minutes was about the right number for him. We don’t want him to sit for long periods of time. He’s still got a ways to go.”
The Pacers shot well (.485) and had a respectable showing from the free-throw line (23 of 30 for 76.7 percent), but were outrebunded 41-34 and committed 17 turnovers. Artest had 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocked shots. Miller scored 19 on 8-of-12 shooting in 27 minutes. Scot Pollard had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Tinsley had 10 points and seven assists.
The Pacers snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their preseason record to 3-2. Minnesota dropped its third in a row and fell to 2-3. Next up is another game with the Boston Celtics, only this time it is in Manchester, NH. The Pacers beat the Celtics 91-90 in Conseco Fieldhouse on Oct. 11.