RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Reggie Miller made his name with offense.
Now, he's showing he can play defense, too.
Miller scored 24 points Saturday night, but he added six
rebounds and a pair of steals and tied his career high with three
blocked shots as the Indiana Pacers beat the Detroit Pistons 94-84.
The game was the first against Detroit for first-year Pacers
coach Isiah Thomas, who is the Pistons' career leader in scoring,
assists and steals.
|  | | Jermaine O'Neal had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Pacers Saturday night. |
"Coach Thomas has really been preaching that (defense),"
Miller said. "Right now, we're helping one another. That's what
defense starts with."
Detroit led by eight points early in the fourth quarter, then
Miller had half his points during a 15-point run that carried the
Pacers to their fourth straight victory.
"The style of play Detroit has allows you to get back in the
ball game. We made some stops, and we got right back in it," said
Miller, who missed all five of his field goal attempts in the third
quarter, but hit five consecutive shots in the final period as
Indiana took control.
Miller hit a 3-pointer and a field goal, and put Indiana ahead
for good at 83-82 midway through the period. Jermaine O'Neal, who
added 20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, scored off a
rebound, then Travis Best stole the ball and Miller scored again
for an 87-82 lead.
Two more baskets by Miller, including another 3-pointer, gave
Indiana a 92-82 lead before Chucky Atkins ended the run with two
minutes remaining. Best, who finished with 19 points, got the final
points on a pair of free throws.
"Reggie was tremendous defensively," Thomas said. "Since the
start of training camp, his defense has been spectacular. His
offense overshadows the job he does every night defensively,
because he's such a spectacular offensive player. Right now, he's
anchoring our defense from out on top."
Miller has five blocked shots in six games. He had 25 last
season. His 24 points left him 60 points short of 20,000 for his
14-year career.
"It wasn't a momentum thing," Pistons coach George Irvine said
of Indiana's fourth-quarter rally. "They dug in, they beat us,
they executed. They did exactly what they are supposed to do. We
couldn't stop them man-for-man.
"They guarded us better. We just couldn't go one-on-one,"
Irvine said.
Atkins led the Pistons with 18 points. Jerry Stackhouse added 17
points, but scored just five in the second half and none in the
decisive fourth quarter.
"Reggie hit some big shots and we should have never been put in
that situation," Stackhouse said of Detroit's inability to keep
the lead. "They were effective with some screens and that allowed
them to make some shots when they counted."
O'Neal carried the Pacers early, scoring 11 points in the first
quarter, as Indiana took a 26-25 lead.
Rookie Mateen Cleaves, whose last game in Indianapolis was in
the NCAA championship with Michigan State, rallied the Pistons, who
closed within a point early in the second period.
The game was tied 47 at halftime, and Detroit led 69-68 entering
into the final period. Field goals by Ben Wallace and Atkins and a
3-pointer by Jud Buechler at the start of the fourth quarter gave
Detroit its biggest lead at 76-68.
Thomas refused to place any added importance on the victory over
Detroit.
"I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Pistons,
but tonight I just wanted to win the basketball game," said
Thomas, who was an NBA All-Star in 12 of his 13 years with Detroit.
Game
notes
Stackhouse has led the Pistons in scoring in all but two
games this season. ... Indiana is 4-0 against Eastern Conference
opponents. ... The Pacers have not allowed an opponent more than 98
points this season. ... Miller, who missed from the foul line for
the first time this season Friday night, was 3-for-4 against the
Pistons and is 34-for-36 this season.
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NBA Scoreboard
Detroit Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
RECAPS
New Jersey 126
Seattle 91
Indiana 94
Detroit 84
Cleveland 86
Washington 73
New York 81
Charlotte 67
Philadelphia 85
Boston 83
Toronto 98
Chicago 75
Minnesota 103
Milwaukee 92
San Antonio 91
Vancouver 78
Phoenix 84
Miami 82
Portland 111
Houston 88
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