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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- More rest on the bench meant more points
later for Reggie Miller.
Miller, who played only five minutes and did not score in the third quarter, had 14 of his 27 points in the final period as the Indiana Pacers beat Denver 103-94 on Friday night. It was the Pacers' 10th straight victory over the Nuggets over the past six years.
"I felt much fresher in the fourth. I felt I had my legs under me," Miller said. "I think we're probably going to go to a different strategy in my minutes, which is pretty good to cut down a little bit so I can be a little bit fresher late in the ball game."
The Nuggets trailed by only three midway through the fourth
quarter before a 3-pointer by Miller. Two free throws by Miller,
two straight baskets by Travis Best and another 3-pointer by Miller helped the Pacers to an 11-point lead and Denver never recovered.
The 27 points by Miller were the most for him since he scored 30 against Utah more than three weeks ago.
Jalen Rose added 26 points for the Pacers, who snapped a four-game losing streak -- three in a row at home -- and extended Denver's losing streaks to five straight on the road and three in a
row overall.
"I've been playing him 40-plus minutes and I thought tonight was a good night to get him rest," Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said of Miller, who played 39 minutes. "We've got to continue to buy him time in the game."
Denver led 52-51 at halftime and took its last lead at 68-67
late in the third quarter on a basket by Antonio McDyess, who led
the Nuggets with 25 points.
Jeff Foster, who started in place of injured Jermaine O'Neal,
hit the first 3-pointer of his career in the closing seconds of the
period to put Indiana ahead 70-68, and the Pacers never trailed
after that.
Foster finished with seven points before fouling out with 6:45
to go.
"We didn't play with the urgency that this was a big game,"
Nuggets coach Dan Issel said. "We played good in the first half,
but you can't win on the road if you play like we did in the second
half. They were doing a good job of screening, and our big guys
didn't give help on our little guys and the little guys didn't help
our big guys."
Nick Van Exel added 19 points for the Nuggets, including 15 in the fourth quarter. Raef LaFrentz and Kevin Willis each had 15 points.
"I think they just hit some big shots, some big 3s in the
fourth quarter," McDyess said. "We changed our defense to give
them a different look, and they took advantage of it."
The Nuggets got a big lift early from Willis, who entered after
McDyess picked up his second foul late in the first quarter.
Willis' first basket pulled Denver within 22-21 at the end of the
first quarter, then he had 10 points and four rebounds in the
second period as Denver built a four-point lead.
Rose pulled Indiana within one on two free throws midway through
the quarter, then two more free throws by Best put the Pacers back
on top at 43-42. There were seven lead changes after that, and a
last-second basket by Voshon Lenard gave Denver its one-point lead
at the break.
Game notes
Denver's last victory against the Pacers was on March 31,
1995. The Pacers' 10 straight wins against the Nuggets is their
longest winning streak against any NBA opponent. ... Indiana had
gone 16 straight games without scoring 100 points. ... O'Neal did
not play because of a strained left groin. ... The Nuggets hit
their first 13 free throws before a miss by Ryan Bowen early in the
fourth quarter. ... Miller hit 6-of-6 free throws, stretching his
streak to 25 straight from the foul line. ... Best and Van Exel
each had 10 assists.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 103
Denver 94
Orlando 123
Philadelphia 117
Miami 91
Atlanta 80
New York 95
New Jersey 71
Boston 102
Detroit 95
LA Lakers 93
Charlotte 87
Sacramento 105
Vancouver 95
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Reggie Miller nails the 3-pointer in the Pacers' victory over the Nuggets.
avi: 610 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Reggie Miller Official Site
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