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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Tyus Edney made up for lost time in a hurry.
Activated just before tipoff after more than two months on the
injured list, Edney gave the Indiana Pacers some needed relief at
point guard and finished with a season-high 16 points in a 103-97
victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
He also had season-highs with five assists and 22 minutes.
"It was a surprise. I didn't know how much I would play,"
Edney said. "But you know, it's kind of been like that. You just
have to stay ready and hope you can get in there.
"Of course you want to play, but you have to be patient and
wait your turn," said Edney, whose previous high this season was
13 points at Washington in November. "You have to keep working and
stay in shape, just keep rooting the team on and do whatever you
can on the sideline."
It was just the 10th game of the season for Edney, who missed 51
games during two stays on the injured list.
"If he continues to play like tonight, you've got to play
him," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "He was really fun to
watch. It was really fun for the guys to see him play. The energy
he brought made us able to get out in the open court all night."
Jalen Rose had 21 points to lead the Pacers, who snapped a
three-game losing streak.
Edney, whose latest stay on the injured list began Jan. 2 with a
sprained ankle, scored seven points in the second quarter after he
replaced foul-plagued Travis Best. Edney added nine points in the
fourth quarter, including the last five points for Indiana, all on
free throws in the final 28 seconds.
"Indiana had control most of the way, but we were right there
but couldn't quite take the last step," Hawks coach Lon Kruger
said. "We had a lot of careless errors ... and a lot of turnovers
resulted in layups in the other direction."
Austin Croshere had seven of his 17 points in the fourth
quarter, including a three-point play that gave the Pacers their
biggest lead -- 90-76.
The Hawks closed to 94-86 with three minutes to go, but Croshere
scored again. Then after a 3-pointer by Jason Terry, who led
Atlanta with 31 points, a basket by Reggie Miller with 48 seconds
to go all but put the game out of reach.
"Indiana really made us work defensively," said Terry, who
played 46 minutes. "I'm out there to play as long as coach needs
me to. I'm willing to do whatever the team needs me to do."
Jermaine O'Neal had 14 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked
shots. He needs three more blocked shots to break the Pacers'
season record of 186 by Herb Williams in 1986.
Toni Kukoc added 25 points for the Hawks, who have lost 11 of
their last 13 games.
"We had a couple of times where we got the game down to two or
three points, but we just couldn't execute and do the right
things," Kukoc said. "We couldn't afford to give Indiana a chance
to run and we weren't able to stop them from doing that tonight."
Indiana took a 34-27 lead after a basket and two free throws by
Edney started an eight-point run midway through the second quarter.
The Pacers twice built the lead to 11 points before a basket by
Kukoc, a 3-pointer by Terry and a fast-break basket by Alan
Henderson pulled the Hawks to 44-40. Edney then hit a 3-pointer in
the closing seconds to give the Pacers a 47-40 lead at the half.
Atlanta closed within three points early in the third quarter,
but a basket by Rose and consecutive 3-pointers by Rose and Best
pushed the Pacers' lead to 61-50. Indiana took a 74-64 lead into
the final period.
Game notes
Before the game, the Pacers put forward Lari Ketner on the
injured list (lower back spasms) in Edney's place. ... Atlanta's
Brevin Knight had three steals in the first five minutes but
bruised his left forearm midway through the period and did not
return. X-rays were negative. ... The Hawks have lost seven
straight road games since a 98-91 victory at Golden State on Feb.
18. ... Atlanta is 0-16 this season when allowing 100 points. ...
Miller, who had 13 points, shot 1-of-5 on 3-pointers, leaving him
two short of 2,000 for his career. He also needs eight points to
become the 21st player in NBA history with 21,000 career points.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
RECAPS
Indiana 103
Atlanta 97
Sacramento 100
Philadelphia 79
LA Lakers 101
Washington 89
Cleveland 114
Charlotte 109
Orlando 103
Vancouver 99
Seattle 90
Chicago 80
San Antonio 95
New Jersey 86
Boston 87
Denver 83
Portland 90
Utah 87
LA Clippers 94
Golden State 76
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