Indiana Pacers News & Notes

[TheGeneral+]

For the first time this season, the Indiana Pacers' four-man point guard contingent is healthy.

Kenny Anderson, who started the first 28 games before straining a calf muscle, said he's fully recovered from his injury and is ready to return to action.

Anderson would prefer to be in uniform tonight, when the Pacers host the Houston Rockets at Conseco Fieldhouse. But what he wants and what will happen are two different things.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers will continue the way they have the past 11 games, with Jamaal Tinsley as the starter, Anthony Johnson as his backup and Jamison Brewer as the third point guard in the playing rotation.

That leaves Anderson on the injured list until further notice.

"Kenny's ready if you need him. And we may activate him at some point soon," Carlisle said after Thursday's practice. "We'll have to wait and see."

Anderson, who averaged 6.5 points, 3.1 assists and 1.1 turnovers before the injury, said he'd be ready when called upon.

"I don't know what they're going to do, but I'm fine. I'm ready," Anderson said. "I guess until I hear otherwise, I'm just one hell of an insurance policy."

Carlisle agreed. "Kenny Anderson, in my mind, is still a starting-caliber point guard in this league. We just happen to be in a great situation right now where we have four guys healthy and four guys playing pretty well."

The Yao revival

Yao Ming was a non-factor in his first meeting this season with the Indiana Pacers, managing just four shots in the Pacers' 79-71 win Dec. 23 at Toyota Center.

But in the past two weeks the 7-6 center has come into his own, highlighted by a season-high 29 points with 10 rebounds in Houston's 86-71 home win over New York on Wednesday.

Yao is averaging 21.2 points and 11.4 rebounds in his past five games.

He presents a particularly difficult challenge for the Pacers, who will have to defend him without an active player taller than 6-11. It's a challenge that Pacers center Jeff Foster anxiously awaits. "It's fun to play him because he is so good," Foster said.

The Pacers used Foster, Scot Pollard and Jermaine O'Neal against Yao in the first meeting. The trio of big men wore him down. Foster insists that the strategy remains the same.

"When he gets the ball, you stay behind him and try and get a hand up and on the ball and basically hope he misses the shot," Foster said. "You can't block his shot. There's no way to block his shot. You've just got to try and beat him early and keep battling."

For the season, Yao is averaging 16 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.88 blocks and 1.5 assists, having started all 41 games this season for the Rockets.

Pollard is expected to be available tonight, although he missed Thursday's practice with a stomach virus.

Bender update

Jonathan Bender is doubtful for tonight's game with a sore knee that's been bothering him since last Friday.

Bender missed the first 39 games of the season recovering from knee surgery. He's missed the past two dealing with swelling and soreness, which surfaced after he played in three consecutive games.

Bender was scheduled to have his knee examined by Boston-based orthopedic surgeon Dan Dyrek this morning, with a decision on his status to be made after that examination.

"Whether or not his most recent issue is a true setback or a part of the healing, rehabilitation process, we need to find out," Carlisle said. "The swelling is down, but he's a little bit concerned and we need to make sure it's right before we put him back out there."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/114043-4868-036.html

 

[TheGeneral+]

The Indiana Pacers met their defensive match Friday.

Houston, which leads the NBA in defensive field goal percentage, limited the Pacers to 37 percent shooting and kept them from getting off the shot they wanted on the game's most crucial possession in its 78-74 victory at Conseco Fieldhouse.

That, combined with the Rockets' rebounding dominance, the Pacers' missed foul shots and a couple of questionable calls, ended a run in which the Pacers had won 12 of their past 13 games ad six in a row at home.

Or, as the Pacers hope, interrupted a longer run. They play at Washington tonight, keeping the time for analysis and unhappiness to a minimum.

Despite the defeat, Detroit's loss at Minnesota clinched the Eastern Conference All-Star coaching job for Rick Carlisle and his staff. They become the third different Pacers coaching staff to work the game since 1998, when Larry Bird's staff had the honor. Isiah Thomas and his staff worked the game last year.

Under the circumstances, Carlisle didn't have the time or inclination to celebrate.

"It's a great honor, but before I get too wrapped up in thinking of that, we have to think of Washington (tonight)," he said.

Jermaine O'Neal scored 31 points to lead the Pacers but missed a crucial free throw in the final minute and grabbed just four rebounds. The rest of his teammates, struggling to find good shots against Houston's mix of man-to-man and zone defenses, hit 16-of-51 shots.

Reggie Miller, a growing offensive factor in recent games, attempted just four shots. Ron Artest tried 18, hitting three.

Artest was announced as a scratch before the game because of the jammed left thumb he suffered in last Saturday's game at New Jersey. But he walked into Carlisle's office and said he was ready to play after a pregame examination. He offered to come off the bench since Al Harrington had worked with the starters in the morning walk-through, but Harrington begged off, preferring to stick with the usual rotation.

Artest hit just 1-of-9 shots in the first half, missed his first in the second, hit three in a row and then missed his final five.

He plans to play tonight in Washington.

"I just have to get used to it," said Artest, who has hit 23-of-80 shots over the past five games.

Despite their offensive woes, the Pacers managed a 73-71 lead when O'Neal, isolated against Yao Ming on the right wing, beat him for a layup. From there, the Pacers were bedeviled by details.

Cuttino Mobley clanged a jumper on Houston's next possession, but a diving Jamaal Tinsley couldn't grab the rebound ahead of Steve Francis.

Francis then drove the right baseline and was grabbed by Harrington. Francis casually threw up a left-handed shot as the whistle sounded and was awarded a two-shot foul.

"I knew Jermaine had five fouls, so I fouled him before he could think about shooting the ball," Harrington said. "I don't know how they figured he was shooting."

Francis hit both, and when O'Neal -- again isolated on Yao -- settled for a 16-foot jump shot that missed, Houston got a chance to regain the lead.

It did when Harrington, playing behind Yao on the left block, was called for a foul as both players fell to the floor while Yao made his post-up move.

"I tried to pull him down a little bit," Harrington said. "I'd say the ref made a good call on that."

Yao hit both free throws and the Rockets never trailed again.

O'Neal had a chance to tie the score after drawing a foul from Yao while making a baseline move. He had hit 40 of his past 44 heading into the game to boost his season percentage to .763, but he hit 1-of-2.

The Pacers got the ball back again when Mobley, taking Miller one-on-one from the left wing, threw the ball away. The Pacers, however, didn't seem to know what to do against the Rockets' zone defense when O'Neal took the ball on the left wing and looked for a teammate. He wound up settling for a 3-point attempt that missed badly.

"They denied my outlets," he said. "They doubled and my outlet was a guy ac**** the court. I saw the guy sitting in the passing lane. I should have taken a timeout and got a new possession."

The Pacer had one last chance to tie the score in the final seconds, but, after a timeout, Tinsley's c****-court inbounding pass to Miller flew out of bounds.

"I thought we played really hard," Carlisle said. "We didn't always play well and had trouble putting the ball in the basket, but the effort was good and we gave ourselves a chance."

Pacers (33-12) at Washington (12-29)

Probable starters (key statistic)

Pacers Wizards
G Jamaal Tinsley (4.7 asts) Steve Blake (3.1 asts)
G Reggie Miller (10.4 pts) Larry Hughes (19.1 pts)
C Jeff Foster (7.2 rebs) Kwame Brown (9.5 pts)
F Ron Artest (17.8 pts) Jarvis Hayes (10.8 pts)
F Jermaine O'Neal (20.9 pts) Jared Jeffries (5.5 pts)


Bad, but improving

Washington has the third-worst record in the NBA but had won its previous two games over Chicago and Seattle before losing at Boston on Friday. The improvement has coincided with coach Eddie Jordan's decision to go with a smaller, quicker lineup. Meaningful improvement, however, won't come until the starting backcourt of Jerry Stackhouse and Gilbert Arenas returns from the injured list. That's expected to happen shortly after the All-Star break, perhaps in time for the Pacers' game in Washington on Feb. 20.

New role for Jeffries

Former Indiana University star Jared Jeffries came into the NBA highly regarded as a scorer and passer. Lately, however, he's emerged as a defensive stopper because of the combination of his size (6-10) and quickness. "That's the beautiful part of this league, that you're never quite sure what your role is going to be on a team," he said. "When you get to this level, you've got to do what you can to stay on the floor. I've got so much more to grow and develop and learn, there's no telling what I'll be doing two years from now."

Brown caught in the middle

Kwame Brown, the No. 1 pick in the draft in 2001, was projected as a forward when he came into the league. But he's grown into a legitimate 7-footer now and recently started three games at center. He averaged 15 points and seven rebounds in those games.

www.indystar.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

WASHINGTON -- The Indiana Pacers don't play again until Wednesday, which gives them three days to think about two weekend losses.

They can only hope the fermentation inspires a stronger attitude toward opponents.

"That could be a good thing because right now it's not sitting well with the players in here," Reggie Miller said following their 107-96 loss to Washington at the MCI Center.

The NBA rule book doesn't specify how many losses it takes to make up a lull, but the Pacers are testing the boundaries. Whereas Friday's homecourt loss to Houston was at least hard-fought, this defeat was blatantly uninspired.

The Pacers (33-13) entered the game with the NBA's best record. Washington (13-29) had the third-worst and was without its starting backcourt of Gilbert Arenas and Jerry Stackhouse.

The Pacers, however, left with their second two-game losing streak of the season and failed to lead a game for the second time. The first was the 22-point loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles. That, at least, was against a contending team.

"This is one of those reality situations where we have to understand every single team that plays us is going to come at us hard," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

"If we're not ready to play our best game, we're going to get beat. Washington proved that tonight. They played an inspired game and we did not."

Washington, which like the Pacers was playing the second half of a back-to-back set, hit 51 percent from the field, committed just eight turnovers and outscored the taller Pacers in the paint 38-32.

It also got career scoring nights from both Kwame Brown (25) and Steve Blake (18).

The much-maligned Brown, who was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in 2001, hit 8-of-12 field goal attempts and 9-of-10 free throws, and blocked three shots. He obviously finds the Pacers' interior defense to his liking, having scored 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in Indiana's victory over the Wizards at Conseco Fieldhouse on Dec. 9.

He entered the game averaging 9.3 points.

"He brings his 'A' game against us; I guess he's got a thing for Indiana," said Al Harrington, who led the Pacers with 21 points off the bench. "It seemed like he delivered every time they needed a basket."

"He outplayed me," said Jermaine O'Neal, who scored 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting and had three shots blocked.

O'Neal scored just four points in the second half, although he grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.

The Pacers' lack of energy was fatal at the defensive end. Washington, the second-worst shooting team in the NBA, hit 63 percent from the field in the first half. It slipped in the third quarter, hitting just 4-of-19 shots, but lost no ground.

The Wizards came back to hit 9-of-15 shots and 14-of-16 free throws in the final period, scoring on their final 10 possessions.

"Defensively we were terrible," Miller said. "We let Washington get wherever they wanted. They got easy shots and transition baskets and free throws because we weren't moving our feet."

It was just the fourth time the Pacers have given up more than 100 points all season.

"It starts with defense," Carlisle said. "If we're not getting stops and holding teams in the mid- to low-forties in field goal percentage, we're going to have a hard time beating anybody. It's that simple.

"Our level of urgency has to be higher."

http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/114742-3333-036.html

 

[TheGeneral+]

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest missed practice Monday to fly to New York for an examination of his injured left thumb.

Artest hurt the thumb on his non-shooting hand in a game at New Jersey on Jan. 17. He has played the last four games with the thumb heavily wrapped, which has clearly affected his shooting. Artest is 20-for-62 (32 percent) since the injury.

After Friday's loss to Houston, in which Artest was 3-for-18, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he didn't "have any doubt he was affected by the injury."

Carlisle said after practice Monday that Artest was "optimistic" that the injury wasn't serious.

Carlisle was hoping that having three days off before the team's next game - Wednesday against Phoenix - will benefit the team's second-leading scorer.

www.mercurynews.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest has torn ligaments in his left thumb and he'll need surgery, but he might not need that surgery until the NBA season is over.

Artest had the thumb examined in New York yesterday, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle confirms that the ligaments are torn. Carlisle also says the team hasn't decided when the surgery will be scheduled.

Artest is Indiana's second-leading scorer. He's averaging 17.5 points a game, but has hit only 32 percent of his shots over four games since injuring the thumb.

He's questionable for tomorrow's game against Phoenix.

www.kvue.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

When the top team in the East plays the bottom team in the West, well, you naturally expect. . .

. . . A hair-raising, down-to-the-wire game.

Too bad for the Phoenix Suns that there are limits to the age-old East-West disparity. The evidence - the Indiana Pacers rolled to a 101-79 laugher Wednesday night.

The rout ended a streak proudly pointed out before tipoff by Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. For eight straight games, the Suns won games - or were in position to win - sometimes against elite teams.

But this feat reached its end pretty quickly.

The Pacers (34-13) started to pull away late in the first quarter, thanks in part to two wild outlet passes by the Suns' Jahidi White (which were among the Suns' 13 first-half turnovers).

Still, they were in the game (sort of), down 52-44 at halftime. Then graybeard Reggie Miller buried them.

With the Pacers up 58-46, Miller converted a three-point play off a finger roll under the hoop, then - over the next five minutes - bombed home four 3-pointers from as far away as 30 feet.

The final one made it 77-50.

Game over. On one play, Suns assistant coach Marc Iavaroni called out the Pacers' exact play (involving two screens) that would be designed to free Miller for a shot. The Pacers still ran the play with little resistance from the Suns. Miller hit the 3-pointer.

It was as if "we didn't read the scouting report on him," D'Antoni said. That report might have noted that Miller is the greatest 3-point shooter in the game's annals. In this one, Miller ended up hitting 5-of-6 on 3-pointers - he has hit 56 percent from long range over the past nine games - to finish with 18 points in just 19 minutes.

"Seems like they were bombing them almost from half court," said Shawn Marion. "His shooting range is freakish," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. As for the Suns (17-30), Joe Johnson got in early foul trouble but still finished with a team-high 23 points. Marion added 16 points and Jake Voskuhl scored 14.

But nobody else scored more than eight.

"They're a top-class team, and we didn't play well," D'Antoni said.

"Our legs weren't there . . . They looked like they had three days off, and we played last night.

"When you have dead legs and your brain is a little dead, that stuff happens."

Voskuhl said the Suns have played well for the last three weeks (about the time of the Stephon Marbury trade), "But we didn't have anything in the tank" in this one.

www.etaiwannews.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Celtics' final possession never really materialized. With 2.7 seconds remaining, Walter McCarty tried to hit a cutting Paul Pierce with an inbounds pass. Pierce ran toward McCarty, but the way the Pacers guarded the play made it difficult for McCarty to thread the ball to Pierce.

The imperfect inbounds pass bounced off Pierce's hands. Fred Jones picked up the loose ball. Time ran out. The Pacers walked off the court with a 99-98 victory last night.

Despite the last-second loss, and their current four-game skid, the Celtics (22-27) were, for a change, somewhat accepting of a moral victory. Interim head coach John Carroll was "proud" of the way Boston rebounded from its embarrassing showing against New York Friday night. Pierce applauded the way his teammates fought back after failing to play defense in the first quarter.

"I'm really, really proud of the way we responded tonight," said Carroll. "We're 0-3 this week, but if you really think about it, we took Detroit and Indiana down to the wire -- one at home and one on the road. I told our guys, `If you can respond to a game [like the one against the Knicks] like we did and play like that, then we have a chance to win some games.' "

The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with a 75-74 lead. But a quick 11-0 run by the Pacers at the beginning of the quarter left the visitors trailing by 8 points with 8 minutes 20 seconds left. During the run, Austin Croshere hurt Boston from 3-point range, coming up with two big shots.

The Celtics, however, were not about to give in or give up. They responded with an 8-2 spurt that cut the Pacers' lead to 2 points (87-85). Indiana went up by 7 before Boston cut its deficit to 1 point when Mark Blount hit a hook shot over Jeff Foster with 1:08 remaining. The Blount basket capped a 6-0 Boston run.

Anthony Johnson came up big, nailing a shot from the arc with 46.1 seconds to go. The basket pushed Indiana ahead by 4 (99-95). Pierce responded in kind with a 28-footer from the left wing. But the captain could not hold onto the ball for one final shot at victory.

"The play was supposed to go to me," said Pierce. "It was going to be a short pass and I was going to be able to get the shot off. The pass was off just a little bit. I couldn't quite get my hands up quick enough . . . But I think this game is a character-builder because of the way we fought back from the first quarter."

Philosophical differences over defense drove Jim O'Brien to resign. One can only imagine what O'Brien might have done if forced to watch the Celtics try and fail to contain the Pacers in the first quarter. Indiana finished the first with 43 points, just 2 shy of the all-time team record for points in a first quarter and a season high for any quarter. It was 1 shy of the most points allowed in a quarter by the Celtics this season. Seattle scored 44 points in the fourth quarter at the FleetCenter Dec. 10.

The Celtics allowed the Pacers to shoot 73 percent (16 for 22) in the first, including 60 percent from 3-point range (6 for 10). The Pacers piled up the points during the first because they moved the ball well, recording 15 assists on 16 field goals.

In the second quarter, it was a different story as the Celtics held the Pacers to 24 percent.

"We just got off to a terrible start," said Pierce (24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals). "We can't give up 43 points in the first quarter like we did. You are not going to win many ballgames that way."

After allowing the Indiana offense to operate practically unchecked in the first quarter, Boston tightened its defense and played its way back into the game during the second quarter. Trailing by 13 (45-32) early in the second, the Celtics staged a 14-3 run to close within 2 points (48-46) with 5:39 remaining in the first half. Impressively, the run took place almost entirely without Pierce, who was on the bench with a pair of personals.

The Celtics never took the lead from Indiana in the second, but they could be somewhat satisfied entering halftime behind only 59-53.

Ricky Davis more than made up for the prolonged absence of Pierce, scoring 18 of his 21 points in the first half. Indiana had to deal with the absence of Jermaine O'Neal, after the All-Star forward strained his neck midway through the second. O'Neal left the game with 5:47 remaining in the second and did not return.

The Celtics made it a closer game in the third, tying the contest twice before a Marcus Banks finger roll on the fast break gave the visitors their first lead, 73-71, with 1:54 left in the quarter.

"We just came up a bit short tonight, but if we play like this every day, I think we can be a pretty good team," said McCarty (15 points). "I definitely think we've taken something from these past three games [under Carroll]. I definitely see light at the end of the tunnel."

www.boston.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers without Jermaine O'Neal were better than the Los Angeles Lakers minus Shaquille O'Neal.

Ron Artest had 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists, and Al Harrington had 16 points as they led the Pacers to an 85-72 victory over the Lakers Monday.

Shaquille O'Neal was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA earlier Monday, one day after using obscene language and publicly criticizing officials during a television interview after the Lakers' victory over Toronto.

Jermaine O'Neal missed the game after straining his neck in Saturday's victory over Boston.

The Lakers also were without injured stars Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. That, essentially, left Gary Payton to take on the team with the most victories in the NBA.

Payton finished with 10 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Stanislav Medvedenko, who had 14 points, was the only other Laker in double figures.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/503/4354679.html

 

[TheGeneral+]

The Indiana Pacers try to make it four straight wins this evening when they start a brief two-game road trip against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Tonight's contest also marks the first meeting between Indiana and New York since former Pacers coach Isiah Thomas took over as Knicks' president and general manager back on December 22, four months after Indiana president of basketball operations Larry Bird fired him.

Thomas led the Pacers to the playoffs in all three years he coached them, but failed to get the team out of the first round. Still, he was taken aback when Bird dismissed him this past summer.

"We were all led to believe that everything was OK and we would be given a chance to go out and finish what we started," Thomas told the Daily News. "That just wasn't the case."

Under new coach Rick Carlisle, the Pacers are atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 36-13 mark and enter tonight's tilt on the heels of an 85-72 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Ron Artest scored a game-high 24 points, while Al Harrington added 16 points to lead Indiana to its eighth win in its last 10 games.

Austin Croshere came of the bench to chip in with 12 points for the Pacers, who played the contest without All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal, who missed the game with a strained neck.

O'Neal, who was one of the most outspoken Pacers following Thomas' dismissal, is listed as day-to-day and is questionable for tonight's affair.

Indiana, which will conclude its trip in Toronto on Friday, has won six of its last eight on the road and is 16-8 away from home this season. The Pacers are also 7-1 in Tuesday games this season.

The Pacers have already beaten the Knicks twice already this season, might be at a disadvantage tonight, as the home team in this series has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Indy, though, has won four straight in the series, including the last two in NY.

http://sportsnetwork.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Isiah Thomas's old team ran into his new one, and the team he now runs outplayed the one he formerly coached.

Two of Thomas's acquisitions, Penny Hardaway and Stephon Marbury, made several big plays down the stretch last night to lead the New York Knicks past the Pacers, 97-90, at Madison Square Garden.

This game was a measuring stick for the Knicks as they try to climb to .500 and qualify for the postseason, and they gave one of their better performances of Thomas's six-week tenure as team president.

Hardaway had 14 points, including a clinching jumper with 17.2 seconds remaining, and Marbury had 23 points and 8 assists. Keith Van Horn outplayed Ron Artest at small forward and had 20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots, and Kurt Thomas added 19 points and 12 rebounds.

Artest had 19 points for the Pacers, who were coached by Thomas the past three seasons. Thomas was fired in August by new team president Larry Bird, and this was his former team's first time playing in his presence since they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last spring.

After Reggie Miller put in a reverse layup to cut Indiana's deficit to 91-90, Thomas was open for an 18-footer that made it 93-90 with 45 seconds left.

Artest missed two free throws with 39.7 seconds left, and New York ran the clock down before Hardaway banked in a 10-footer over Tinsley for a 95-90 lead with 17.2 seconds remaining.

Cavaliers 85, Pistons 82 -- Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead Cleveland over Detroit in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Boozer made two free throws with 8.9 seconds left, after grabbing an offensive rebound off one of teammate LeBron James's many missed shots, to give Cleveland the lead for good.

James, one game after scoring a career-high 38 points, shot only 5 of 19 for 12 points as the Cavaliers won for the seventh time in nine games.

Detroit missed 13 straight shots and its 4-point lead turned into a 77-71 deficit midway through the fourth quarter.

Kings 117, SuperSonics 101 -- Brad Miller scored 14 of his 25 points in the third quarter for Sacramento as it won its fourth straight.

Peja Stojakovic had 26 points for the Kings, who improved to 22-3 at Arco Arena.

Rashard Lewis led Seattle with 25 points, while Ray Allen added 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

The 7-foot Miller also had 4 rebounds and 2 assists in the Kings' decisive 33-point third quarter.

Mavericks 107, Warriors 93 -- Michael Finley scored 23 points and reserve Antawn Jamison added 20 points and 12 rebounds as Dallas thumped visiting Golden State for its 10th win in 12 games.

Speedy Claxton and Jason Richardson had 20 points apiece to pace the Warriors.

Timberwolves 113, Magic 100 -- Kevin Garnett had 30 points and 14 rebounds, and Sam Cassell added 20 points and 10 assists to pace host Minnesota over Orlando.

Latrell Sprewell added 25 points and 7 assists for Minnesota, which won for the 13th time in 15 games -- 13th straight at home.

Raptors 93, 76ers 80 -- Vince Carter had 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead Toronto in Philadelphia.

Allen Iverson had 36 points to lead the Sixers, who have lost nine of 11.

http://www.boston.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

TORONTO (Ticker) -- Jermaine O'Neal hopes to bounce back from a sub-par performance Friday night as the Indiana Pacers visit the Toronto Raptors in a Central Division contest.

The Pacers had a three-game winning streak snapped with Tuesday's 97-90 loss at New York.

O'Neal played with a strained neck that kept him out of Monday's home win over the Los Angeles Lakers and scored 17 points. But he encountered early foul trouble, made just 6-of-20 shots and blamed himself for the loss.

"It just wasn't me out there," said O'Neal, who has averaged 11.5 points in his last four contests. "I have to put this loss on my shoulders. If I decide to play, whether it is hurt or healthy, I have to find a way to control the game and win the games we are supposed to win."

The Pacers have split their last six games following a stretch in which they won 12 of 13.

Toronto will be seeking its first three-game winning streak in over two months. Since putting together five straight wins from December 2-9, the Raptors are 10-15.

The Raptors enjoyed their largest margin of victory Wednesday night, taking advantage of Tracy McGrady's absence en route to a 110-90 home win over Orlando.

On a night when Vince Carter was limited to 11 points, the Raptors got 32 from Donyell Marshall and 21 from Jalen Rose.

Friday is the first of four meetings between the teams this season. The Pacers have won four of their last five games in the series after dropping the previous seven.

http://www.nba.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

The Pacers went on the road and picked up an 83-77 win over the Toronto Raptors Friday night.

Ron Artest scored 27 points to anchor the Pacers to the win. Jermaine O'Neal finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who won for the fourth time in five games. Al Harrington contributed 19 points off the bench.

Indiana snapped a two-game losing streak on the road and improved to 17-9 away from Conseco Fieldhouse this season. The Pacers improved to 11-3 in Friday games.

The Pacers have a day off before returning to the court Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat.

http://sportsnetwork.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Reggie Miller still has the touch.

The 38-year-old Miller scored 15 points on five 3-pointers to help the Indiana Pacers hold off the Miami Heat 97-91 Sunday. At Toronto on Friday, Miller was shut out from the field.

Jermaine O'Neal scored 22 points and Ron Artest added 20.

"When Jermaine and Ron go inside, it's easier for other players to get shots," Miller said. "We really showed our depth."

Miller's fifth 3-pointer gave Indiana a 90-82 lead with under three minutes to go, and the Pacers scored their final seven points on free throws, five by Anthony Johnson.

"You know what? It's not a surprise," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said of Miller's efficient shooting. "He's been in the league 17 years and he's still here early every day doing his shooting. The guy is a consummate pro, and it's not an accident that the ball goes in when he shoots it."

O'Neal also had 13 rebounds and Scot Pollard had a season-high nine boards as Indiana had a 46-30 rebounding edge.

"We knew they wouldn't go away," O'Neal said. "They always play strong, sticky defense, but we got great help from our bench, Pollard in particular."

Indiana led by as many as 10 in the first half before Lamar Odom rallied Miami in the third quarter. Odom, who had 25 points, hit a 3-pointer that tied the game at 62. Dwyane Wade's two free throws gave the Heat the lead for the last time at 64-62.

The Pacers -- then playing their second unit -- scored the last eight points of the third quarter and completed a 15-0 run with the first seven of the final period for a 77-64 lead. Odom then hit two free throws, the first points for the Heat in six minutes, to start their final comeback.

With Indiana's starters back in the game, another free throw by Odom made it 83-81 with just over three minutes to go, but Artest and O'Neal scored for the Pacers and Miller hit his final 3-pointer.

"That was the backbreaker, the one that sewed it up," Van Gundy said.

Artest, who was 4-of-20 from the field, hit two free throws and Johnson finished off the Heat with four straight free throws in the final 38 seconds.

Eddie Jones added 21 points and Wade had 15 for the Heat. Johnson was the top reserve for the Pacers with 13 points.

"Defensively, we were pretty good, but we did give up a couple of easy baskets down the stretch," Jones said. "They're a deep team and they are a talented team. ... then Reggie hits that big 3."

Rafer Alston scored all 14 of his points in the first half to keep the Heat close after Indiana twice took leads of 10 points.

"We got crushed on the boards. That was really the difference," Van Gundy said. "We didn't make a lot of mistakes, but they hit some timely 3s and we couldn't get it done on the glass."

Notes:

The loss was Miami's 22nd on the road this season, matching Orlando for the most defeats away from home. ... The Pacers are 22-3 when Artest scores at least 20 points ... Miller was 0-3 from the field and had two FTs at Toronto on Friday. ... Odom has scored in double figures a career-high 26 straight games. ... Indiana has won 11 of its last 13 games against Miami, including all four games last year and the first two this season.

http://www.sfgate.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Ron Artest had 26 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 103-84 rout over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday at the United Center.

Jermaine O'Neal added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won three straight and six of their last seven games. Austin Croshere had 12 points and Jamaal Tinsley contributed 10 in the win.

Indiana made 9-of-21 three-point attempts (43 percent) and hit 20-of-27 from the charity stripe (74 percent).

The Pacers broke open a tie game after one period by outscoring the Bulls 29-17 in the second. Artest's jumper with just over four minutes left in the quarter gave the Pacers a 42-32 advantage. Chicago did get within six later in the period, but it trailed 50-38 at halftime.

The Pacers continued to pour it on in the third period as they scored the first seven points to extend the cushion to 57-38. The gap grew to 20 points on Tinsley's three-pointer later in the quarter and Indiana enjoyed a comfortable 80-62 lead after 36 minutes. Chicago never threatened in the fourth period.

Artest has scored in double digits in eight straight games. He is averaging 24.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his last three contests.

The Pacers head into the All-Star break with a league-best 39 wins. Indiana is off until Tuesday, February 17 when they host Central Division rival New Orleans.

http://sportsnetwork.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

LOS ANGELES -- Jermaine O'Neal promised an improvement on the 10 points he scored in last year's All-Star game.

Ron Artest vowed simply to enjoy himself in his first, and probably not his last, trip to the NBA All-Star game.

Both of the Indiana Pacers' forwards delivered Sunday night at Staples Center, though it came in a losing effort as the Eastern Conference fell 136-132 in the NBA's 53rd annual midseason showcase.

O'Neal, a starter for the second consecutive season, scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while playing a team-high 28 minutes.

But not even he could help rescue an Eastern Conference team from the pro-Western Conference atmosphere that was prevalent Sunday night.

With the East trailing by a point with 26 seconds to play, he couldn't get a handle on a lob from Tracy McGrady that, had he caught it and converted the dunk or layup, would've given his team the lead with 15.6 seconds to play.

Tim Duncan rebounded for the West and was fouled by O'Neal. Duncan hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final seconds to seal the outcome.

Artest, who played just 17 minutes off the bench, was all smiles while he was on the floor. He traded in his trademark sticky defense for a bit of the "AND 1 Streetball" style of play that ruled the day.

He scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists, when he wasn't changing his shoes -- which he did several times throughout the night.

But Artest got what he wanted long before the pregame hoopla ended, complete with performances by both members of the Grammy-winning group Outkast.

He wanted his family, including his wife and four children, to have an experience they'd never forget.

"My kids loved this," said Artest, who had his entire family in town for the affair. "It's been a busy weekend, but a good one. It's been good to be a part of something like this, with all these talented players. I'd love to do it again."

The beneficiaries of O'Neal's increased production will be the housing authorities in Indianapolis and his hometown of Columbia, S.C.

O'Neal made a deal with fellow Eastern Conference All-Star Tracy McGrady that they would donate $1,000 to their respective charities for every point they scored.

"That money is going to do some really good things for a lot of people," O'Neal said before the game. "We made that bet to help people out and that's the most important thing to both of us."

Sacramento Kings power forward Brad Miller, another player with Indiana ties, sprained his right ankle just before time expired in the third quarter and did not return. Miller left the arena in a walking boot. He finished with eight points and two rebounds in 10 minutes.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/121279-6400-036.html

 

[TheGeneral+]

ALL-STAR WEEKEND: It was hardly a Hollywood ending for Fred Jones of Indiana, competing in his first dunk contest after initially declining to attend

AP , LOS ANGELES
Monday, Feb 16, 2004,Page 19

Indiana's Fred Jones won the NBA dunk contest practically by default, dethroning two-time champion Jason Richardson when both missed their final jams.

Jones made two impressive dunks earlier in the contest Saturday, including a cool one-handed reverse after throwing a bounce pass to himself from the 3-point line. But two misses on his clever final attempt -- on a pass from a friend in the stands -- should have made it easy for Golden State's Richardson to become the contest's first three-time champion.

But Richardson also missed his final dunk, handing the title to Jones.

"It was an honor to be out here, because Jason Richardson is one of the greatest dunkers ever," Jones said. "I was just trying to be creative and do something different."

Boston's Ricky Davis and Denver's Chris Andersen were eliminated in the first round. Davis made only one dunk, and Andersen got more cheers for his elaborately spiked hair than his jams.

Jones is a longtime fan of the dunk contest who admired Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins before he was tall enough to slam. He was ready for his first crack at the contest: He got a 50 for his first dunk -- a long bounce pass finished off with a hard slam -- and another 50 on his one-handed reverse in the finals.

And in the second round, he brought the crowd to its feet with a leaning, one-handed reverse following a similar pass. Jones rattled the champ, who needed three false starts before making a lackluster 360-degree slam.

Jones needed only a 46 to win, but he went for a difficult original dunk. He passed the ball into the stands to a friend, who threw a high-arching bounce pass toward the basket.

It was a beautiful, unique idea for a slam -- except Jones missed it twice, fumbling good passes. Jones shook his head, while his friends howled their disapproval.

It was the 20th anniversary of the NBA's revival of the contest, which was a cult favorite in the ABA in the 1970s. Phoenix's Larry Nance won the first contest in 1984.

A panel of Lakers greats judged the contest: Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The crowd didn't care much for their idols' judgments, booing several scores.

Denver's Chris Andersen was eliminated in the first round despite an impressive two-handed slam following a pass off the backboard. He was the tallest dunker in the competition, and the Nuggets' utility player drew the attention of Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson with his heavy gel and spiked hair.

Three-point shooting

Denver's Voshon Lenard denied Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic from a third consecutive victory in the NBA All-Star 3-point shooting contest Saturday night.

Lenard edged Stojakovic 18-16 in the final round.

The Denver Nuggets guard hit all five red, white and blue money balls (worth two points) in the one-minute final. Stojakovic needed to hit the last money ball to force a tie, but it bounced off the rim as the clock expired.

Philadelphia forward Kyle Korver also made the three-man finals. He scored 15 points after hitting all five shots from the left corner. He missed all five attempts at another of the five shooting stations.

Lenard earned US$25,000. Stojakovic received US$15,000.

Players had a minute to shoot as many balls as they could from five spots around the 3-point line. The four orange balls at each station were worth one point.

skills challenge

Baron Davis, the New Orleans Hornets' star who used to wow the crowd ac**** town at Pauley Pavilion, was a winner at Staples Center on Saturday night -- in the NBA All-Stars skills challenge.

The team of Magic Johnson, Derek Fisher and Lisa Leslie won the Shooting Stars contest.

Davis, a former UCLA standout, defeated Stephon Marbury, Earl Boykins and Fisher in the timed test of passing, dribbling and shooting.

Davis finished the course in 28.7 seconds in the first round, then wrapped up the win with a time of 31.6 in the second.

Fisher, filling in for Lakers teammate Gary Payton, had a time of 31.6 in the first round, but a missed jump shot cost him in the second and he was clocked in 37.6.

Johnson, Fisher and Leslie each won US$10,000, with the second-place Spurs getting US$7,500 each.

Davis got US$25,000 for winning the skills contest, and Fisher received US$15,000 to run his total for the evening to US$25,000.

http://www.taipeitimes.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

The Indiana Pacers got their post-All-Star slate off on the wrong foot on Tuesday, as they dropped an 89-75 decision to the New Orleans Hornets at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Jermaine O'Neal paced the Pacers with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Ron Artest finished with 13 points off the bench for Indiana, which had a three- game winning streak snapped.

Artest was benched for the start of the game for missing a practice on Monday night. He said he missed the workout because he did not return in time from Sunday night's All-Star game in Los Angeles. He was not on the flight that was originally scheduled for him and had to take a later flight.

The Pacers were attempting to become the first team in the NBA this season to reach 40 wins.

On the bright side Al Harrington returned to the lineup for the Pacers after missing the last two games with a sore knee. He received a cortisone shot for the knee last week, but it did not help. Harrington, though, has said he will play through the pain.

Indiana will return to the action on Friday against Washington.

http://sportsnetwork.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

With the Washington Wizards trailing by one, Gilbert Arenas didn't get the call when contact disrupted his fadeaway shot over Jeff Foster.

The Indiana Pacers then put the game away. Jamaal Tinsley made two 3-pointers in the final 1:10 to clinch Friday night's 96-87 victory.

''I stepped back, and he gave me a shove. I thought it was a foul, but they said I jumped into him, so I'm not going to argue,'' Arenas said. ''Hopefully, next time they'll give us that call at the end of the game. They're a veteran team, the No. 1 team in the East, so they're going to get the benefit of the doubt.''


No one was more steamed than Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, who berated official Leon Wood in the middle of the court after the final whistle before security intervened.


''I'm not going to talk about the officials,'' said Jordan, whose team has lost four straight.


Reggie Miller scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Pacers, who overcame 22 turnovers to win for the fourth time in five games. Tinsley finished with a season-high 19 points and 10 assists, and Jermaine O'Neal added 19 points and 10 rebounds.


The Pacers blew an 18-point lead in the first half and trailed by eight early in the fourth, but Miller scored seven straight points for Indiana to start the comeback. Tinsley's layup in transition put the Pacers back in front with 2:53 to play, and the second of his 3-pointers was a bank shot that sealed the game with 37 seconds remaining.


Indiana played without forward Ron Artest, who is out indefinitely after tearing a ligament in his left thumb Tuesday against New Orleans.


''I loved the fact that we gutted it out,'' coach Rick Carlisle said. ''The dynamics of our team are different without Ron Artest. We're going to have to figure it out as we go. We're a little bit of a work in progress with this new setup.''


Arenas scored 27 points, and Juan Dixon had a career-high eight steals for the Wizards. Arenas, Dixon and Jerry Stackhouse led a third-quarter rally, thus avoiding another blowout loss. Washington had lost its previous three by 25, 26 and 22 points.


''We're a young team taking our lumps right now,'' said Stackhouse, who scored 15 points.


The Wizards played some of their worst defense of the season in the opening minutes, allowing the Pacers to score on seven of their first eight possessions. Washington committed eight turnovers in the first quarter, one more than they committed in the entire game when they beat Indiana on Jan. 24. Indiana outscored Washington 14-0 in fast-break points in the quarter.


Tinsley had plenty of time before launching an open 3-pointer that got the lead to 16 in the second quarter. It was an 18-point advantage before Arenas led a minor rally to close the gap to 50-39 at halftime. Indiana shot 64 percent in the first half.


The Wizards opened the third quarter with a 10-0 run and got their first lead of the game when Stackhouse made two free throws with 3:45 left in the period.


Notes: Carlisle said there was still no timetable for Artest, who had surgery Thursday. ''We're not saying anything because we're not for sure,'' Carlisle said. ''Even the doctors are having a hard time putting a timetable on it.'' Artest arrived during the game and sat at the end of the bench. ... The crowd's focus was distracted during the Wizards' third-quarter rally by a bizarre stunt during a timeout. A man disguised in a bank-teller machine costume proposed to a woman, who appeared stunned and embarrassed and immediately ran toward the Wizards' tunnel before a security guard stopped her. She then ran up the stairs among the fans and was booed. The arena's replay screen flashed ''She said no!!'' The fans were abuzz over the incident for several minutes as play continued.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4333866/

 

[TheGeneral+]

Jermaine O'Neal had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks and the Indiana Pacers pulled away in the fourth quarter and beat the Utah Jazz 94-80 Sunday.

O'Neal shot just 4-of-10 from the field but hit 13-of-15 free throws as the Pacers repeatedly went inside in the second half and won for the fifth time in six games.

Al Harrington, starting in place of the injured Ron Artest, scored 14 points, and reserves Austin Croshere and Jonathan Bender added 15 and 11, respectively.

Andrei Kirilenko scored 22 points and Raja Bell added 21 for Utah, which lost for the fourth time in five games -- including three of four on its road trip.

The Pacers, trailing by four, scored the last five points of the third quarter and finished a 17-2 run by outscoring the Jazz 12-2 over the first five minutes of the final period to take an 11-point lead. Utah never got closer than eight points after that.

The game was slowed by 65 fouls. Utah's Jaron Collins and Michael Ruffin fouled out, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle received two technicals and was ejected with 3:08 to go in the first half when he stormed onto the court to protest an offensive foul called against Reggie Miller.

Notes:

The Pacers lead the NBA with 41 wins. ... Indiana was 40-of-50 from the free-throw line, compared to Utah's 22-of-31. ... Utah's Jan. 7 game against Memphis, postponed because weather conditions prevented the Grizzlies from flying out of Portland, has been resheduled for April 5.


http://sfgate.com

 

[TheGeneral+]

Tipoff: 4 p.m. today, Conseco Fieldhouse.

TV: Fox Sports Net.

Radio: KNBR (1050).

Pacers update: With F Ron Artest out after thumb surgery, the Pacers are expecting a lot from Al Harrington, who moved from sixth man to starter and from power forward to small forward. Harrington is averaging 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds as a starter, and Indiana is 7-1 in the games he has started. The Pacers' defense came up big Sunday in a 94-80 win over Utah. Indiana trailed by five late in the third quarter but held Utah to just two baskets for more than nine minutes to pull away.

Warriors injuries: Guard Speedy Claxton (sprained right thumb) is probable. Forward Mike Dunleavy (ankle) is questionable.

Pacers injuries: Artest is out 4-6 weeks.

http://www.mercurynews.com