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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- The Indiana Pacers love playing the third quarter
at Philips Arena.
Jalen Rose tied his career high with 32 points, Reggie Miller
had 28 and Indiana ended a two-game losing streak, 113-107 over the
struggling Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.
|  | | Indiana's Jalen Rose, who scored a game-high 32 points, drives between Atlanta's Roshown McLeod, right, and Lorenzen Wright. |
In their previous trip to Atlanta this season, the Pacers
outscored the Hawks 40-10 in the third for a 116-89 victory. This
time, Indiana reeled off a 15-3 run to begin the second half after
scoring the final 10 points of the second quarter.
"We were trying to be aggressive," said Rose, who equaled his
career high set Feb. 16 against Toronto. "When you lose two in a
row, you have to try to get back on track."
The Pacers increased their lead in the Eastern Conference to
three games over idle Miami and pushed six games ahead of Toronto,
also off, in the Central.
"The last time we played here, we had our best third quarter of
the season," Rose said. "We were trying to resemble that."
The Pacers, who are only 17-18 on the road, rebounded from a
dismal 111-90 loss at Dallas the previous night.
"We understood the sense of urgency," Mark Jackson said. "We
didn't want to compound last night's loss."
The hapless Hawks, with the third-worst record in the East, led
55-45 after Isaiah Rider dunked off a fast break with 3:13 left in
the second quarter. But Miller scored six points during the 10-0
run that evened the score at halftime.
Indiana kept up the pace to start the third quarter. Rik Smits
scored six points, Miller added four and Mark Jackson hit a
3-pointer for a 70-58 lead with 7:13 remaining.
The Hawks committed six turnovers during that eight-minute
stretch. To make matters worse, they hit only 3 of 17 shots in the quarter.
"Everybody knows they've got some firepower," said Alan
Henderson, who led the Hawks with 21 points. "Unfortunately, we
just let it get away from us."
Atlanta closed to 100-96 on Henderson's dunk with 3:39
remaining, then forced a miss by Rose on Indiana's next trip down
the court. Dikembe Mutombo fought with Smits for the rebound, came
up with the loose ball as he stumbled toward the end line and tried
to call timeout.
But official Don Vaden ruled Mutombo already had gone out of
bounds, giving the ball back to the Pacers. Miller took advantage
by hitting a 3-pointer.
"We had a chance," Mutombo said. "That disputed play kind of
hurt us. That was the key."
Atlanta made one more run, scoring four straight points to make
it 103-100 before Rose hit a couple of free throws, Jim Jackson
missed for the Hawks and Indiana's Austin Croshere dunked off a
pass from Jackson to make it 107-100 with a minute to go.
"We're playing harder," Atlanta coach Lenny Wilkens said.
"The guys didn't give up. They worked hard and had some
opportunities right there at the end. It's a tough loss for us."
Game notes
Atlanta has lost six of seven. ... Both teams played the
previous night in Texas. The Hawks were defeated by San Antonio in
Sean Elliott's return. ... Indiana's Dale Davis didn't make the
two-game road trip because of leg cramps. ... Rider, who has played
sparingly since he showed up late for a March 9 game against San
Antonio, scored three points in seven minutes. Early in the fourth
quarter, several fans behind the bench began chanting, "We want
Rider." He acknowledged their pleas by clapping his hands above
his head. ... Mutombo, Atlanta's Bimbo Coles and Indiana's Travis
Best picked up technicals. ... The Pacers got all but 13 points
from their starters, while the Hawks used their bench more
extensively. LaPhonso Ellis had 12 points and four other reserves
combined for 21 points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 121
Golden State 104
Indiana 113
Atlanta 107
Charlotte 77
Chicago 74
Detroit 113
Orlando 91
Sacramento 98
LA Clippers 78
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