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Tuesday, Jan. 25 7:00pm ET
Pacers win 14th straight at home | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Indiana Pacers may be wondering why their new home wasn't built sooner. After losing three consecutive road games, the Pacers defeated Phoenix 93-87 Tuesday night for their 14th straight victory in Conseco Fieldhouse.
Their 19th consecutive sellout of 18,345 saw Reggie Miller score 21 points, including four free throws in the final 24 seconds as Indiana held off the Suns after an 18-point lead was cut to one. "We were much more committed early on, especially on the defensive end," Miller said. "We moved the basketball a little better, but we still haven't put a complete game together." Clifford Robinson led the Suns with 24 points and Jason Kidd had 22. Phoenix trailed 83-68 after Miller, who made all 10 of his free throw attempts, was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and hit all three shots with 7:35 to play. Indiana missed its next seven shots while the Suns rallied. "They relaxed a little bit, they got out of their rhythm and took some bad shots," coach Larry Bird said of Indiana's shooting woes in the final period. "You want to win, you want to play hard but you're a little fatigued." Consecutive 3-pointers by Rodney Rogers ignited an 11-point run by Phoenix. Sam Perkins responded with a 3-pointer to give Indiana an 86-79 lead. Two free throws by Jalen Rose, who had 15 points, put Indiana ahead 88-79 with 3:55 remaining. Phoenix then surged again on a layup and jumper by Penny Hardaway and four free throws by Kidd. Dale Davis made one of two free throws for Indiana, which shot only 29 percent (5-of-17) from the field in the fourth quarter, to give Indiana an 89-87 edge with 39.4 seconds remaining. After Tom Gugliotta threw up an airball for Phoenix, Miller was fouled with 23.7 seconds left and his free throws made it 91-87. He hit two more free throws after Kidd missed an off-balance 3-pointer. "The play called for me to drive, but he's (Perkins) so big and strong that I could not get to the hole. I tried to back him down but couldn't and then just had to put it up," Gugliotta said. Gugliotta, a 47 percent shooter, had just eight points on 4-of-16 shooting. "They had me off my timing and out of my rhythm. I felt good about the open looks I got, but Indiana really made it tough on me inside. They definitely established a presence in the paint," he said. The Pacers used balanced scoring to bring their home record to 17-2. Six finished in double figures, with Rose having 15 and Rik Smits scoring 14. "The difference between being a good team and a great team is taking care of it at home," Indiana guard Mark Jackson said. Indiana, playing its fourth game in five nights, appeared ready to break the game open in the third period as the Suns hit just three of their first 13 attempts from the field. The Pacers opened the half with an 11-2 run, and Indiana went on to take its biggest lead of the night at 67-49 on a 3-pointer by Miller with 5:19 left in the period. "In the third quarter we let ourselves get away from what we did in the first half, which was taking good shots and playing good defense," Robinson said. "We rushed things in the third quarter, and against a quality team like the Pacers, you can't have letdowns." A tight first half ended with Indiana holding a 47-42 lead after shooting 67 percent from the field in the second period. The quarter included seven lead changes and two ties. The Suns took their biggest lead of the game at 28-21 on two free throws by Robinson. Indiana responded with six consecutive points on two jumpers by Rose and two free throws by Austin Croshere. Game notesPhoenix had a three-game winning streak snapped. ... Perkins has come off the bench to score in double figures the last five games. ... Phoenix played without Oliver Miller, who was suspended for one game and fined $7,500 by the league for deliberating hitting Cleveland's Andre Miller with a forearm to the neck on Saturday. ... The game was the first of a five-game road trip for the Suns, their longest of the season. ... Indiana is 20-4 when holding opponents under 100 points. | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Phoenix Clubhouse Indiana Clubhouse RECAPS Indiana 93 Phoenix 87
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