RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Reggie Miller, a frequent thorn in the side of the New York Knicks in his 12-year career, added a new wrinkle Saturday night with an impressive effort on both ends of the court.

Miller scored 26 points to lead the Pacers to a 101-90 victory in the first meeting of the season between the Eastern Conference rivals, who battled through a six-game conference final last season when the Knicks upset the Central Division champions.

	Indiana's Austin Croshere goes up for a shot against New York's Marcus Camby on Saturday.

"This was a huge, huge win for us and could be a great statement game," said Miller, who also made significant defensive contributions against Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell.

"We had not been beating the upper echelon teams," said Miller, adding that he would have preferred not playing on Christmas Day. The game was the first for Indiana on the holiday since it lost to Utah 150-129 in 1971.

"I was one that did not want to be here. However, we are in the entertainment business so we had to be here."

Indiana held New York scoreless for the first four minutes of the third quarter, breaking a 50-50 halftime tie, to take the lead for good. New York had three of its 17 turnovers during the run.

The run also included the ejection of New York's Kurt Thomas and Indiana's Jalen Rose, who swung at each other following a collision.

"After he got an offensive rebound he threw an elbow that I didn't appreciate," Thomas said. "I didn't think there was anything dirty going on out there until that point. I wish I had handled it a lot differently. I guess I'll have to face the consequences.

Rose said, "It's unfortunate. I've seen the replay and I'm disappointed I wasn't able to play the second half. Obviously, I'll let the league handle it. ... I didn't feel like I did anything."

Sprewell led the Knicks with 23 points, and Larry Johnson and Patrick Ewing added 16 each. Dale Davis and reserve Sam Perkins scored 14 apiece for Indiana, while reserve forward Austin Croshere had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

"We played 39 good minutes, it just wasn't enough to beat this team," New York coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We didn't play good enough defense."

Miller was assigned to guard Sprewell after the New York offensive star capitalized on his quickness and two-inch height advantage over Mark Jackson to score New York's first nine points. Sprewell hit his first five shots and had 13 as the Knicks finished the first period leading 28-22.

The Pacers missed 12 consecutive shots from the field while going nearly five minutes between field goals.

The Knicks opened their biggest lead of the game during Indiana's cold spell, breaking a 4-4 tie with 11 consecutive points. Sprewell had seven in the run and the Knicks led by 11 three times before the Pacers warmed up and managed to lead by as many as six points in the second half.

"We came out with a lot of energy but did not shoot that well," Jackson said. "We had good shots, but they didn't fall. However, we maintained our poise and that was a big thing. ... When we execute and defend we will be winners."

Indiana scored 26 points following 17 New York turnovers, while the Knicks had only eight points after Indiana's 10 turnovers. The Knicks also were outscored 32-15 from the free-throw line.

"We made too many turnovers, didn't play good defense, let them shoot too many free throws and they got all the calls," Ewing said.

The score was tied at 50 at halftime with New York shooting 60 percent in the first half. Indiana shot 29 percent (7-of-24) in the opening period, and 47 percent in the second quarter (8-of-17).

Indiana had only four turnovers in the first half and New York failed to score after any of them. Meanwhile, the Pacers scored 17 points following nine first-half turnovers by the Pacers.

The Knicks cooled down in the third period, shooting 35 percent from the field, and Indiana led twice by 11 in the quarter.

The Knicks failed to mount a charge in the fourth quarter and Indiana took its biggest lead of the night at 13 points.

Game notes
New York has lost five straight regular-season games in Indianapolis. ... New York used its eighth starting unit of the season. However, Thomas was limited to just 12 minutes as he hyperextended his left knee after nine minutes in the first half and was ejected three minutes into the third period. ... The victory moved Indiana into first place in the Central Division, a half-game ahead of Charlotte. ... Houston averaged 25 points in his past four games, but scored only 10 on 4-of-11 shooting from the field. ... The Knicks scored only 14 points in the third quarter, matching their low for the season. ... With a 9-2 mark in December, Indiana has its best start ever in the month. ... Croshere had career highs of nine free throws made and 12 attempts.