Indiana 89, New Orleans 86
Millers Rally Pacers to Comeback Win
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 31 (Ticker) -- What Ron Artest does on defense may not appear in the boxscore, but it helped provide another win for the Indiana Pacers.
Artest's tough defense on Jamal Mashburn set up Reggie Miller's clutch 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining as the Pacers pulled out an 89-86 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
Artest has developed a reputation for being one of the NBA's best defenders. In the Pacers' last three games, he held Mashburn, Cleveland's Ricky Davis and Atlanta's Glenn Robinson below their scoring averages.
"Every night we see that out of Ron," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "His defense, his tenacity, his willingness to compete every single night, we admire that. It's very courageous. His defense sparks us. Not only because he'll get a steal, but just the way he competes."
Artest finished with five defensive rebounds and two steals. after the game, Thomas called him the best defender in the NBA.
"If there's a better defender in this league, I want to see him because from what I see from night to night, he's the best defender in the league, hands down."
Mashburn scored 24 points, three above his average. But with Artest on him most of the night, he made just 8-of-23 shots and missed a pair of jumpers could have given the Hornets momentum.
In two games against Artest, Mashburn has shot 37 percent (16-of-43). On the season, Mashburn is a 42 percent shooter.
"He's an energy-type player and a different type energy player," Mashburn said. "He's not overall athletic, but he stays in front of you. He moves his feet, he plays hard all the time."
Mashburn also faced several double-teams as Thomas used Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington.
"We had a combination of guys really working Mashburn tonight," O'Neal said. "We just tried to wear him out and make his shots tougher. That's what we need, that combination from the two guys. Our defense always sets up our offense. Once you get into the break, it make our game that much easier."
Mashburn's first miss was a jumper that would have cut the deficit to 84-82 with 1:24 remaining. Instead, O'Neal grabbed the rebound, and Miller drained the open 3-pointer over Stacey Augmon.
After Miller's 3-pointer, Mashburn made a pair of 3-pointers to get New Orleans within 87-86. But Artest smothered Mashburn as he took a jumper that was short, giving the Pacers the win.
"You know every single night, he's not going to stop scorers from scoring because the scorers are so good in this league," Thomas said. "But his ability to go out there and compete is something special."
Miller scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, Brad Miller added 20 points and O'Neal chipped in 14 for the Pacers (23-8), who took a one-half game lead over New Jersey for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Artest instantly set the tone for a big second half on New Orleans' first possession as he stole P.J. Brown's pass. Miller finished the play on the other end with 19-foot jump shot.
Miller had 14 points and center Brad Miller added 10. Miller, who was Artest's teammate in Chicago gave the Pacers their first lead since early in the first quarter, when he sank a 20-foot jumper with 2:21 left.
"They're pretty good defensively," Mashburn said. "They're young, they're long, they're physical. We had opportunities to win. We just couldn't put the ball in the hole. They had a good game plan and they stuck to it. They play extremely hard."
props are given...
Millers Rally Pacers to Comeback Win
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 31 (Ticker) -- What Ron Artest does on defense may not appear in the boxscore, but it helped provide another win for the Indiana Pacers.
Artest's tough defense on Jamal Mashburn set up Reggie Miller's clutch 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining as the Pacers pulled out an 89-86 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.
Artest has developed a reputation for being one of the NBA's best defenders. In the Pacers' last three games, he held Mashburn, Cleveland's Ricky Davis and Atlanta's Glenn Robinson below their scoring averages.
"Every night we see that out of Ron," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "His defense, his tenacity, his willingness to compete every single night, we admire that. It's very courageous. His defense sparks us. Not only because he'll get a steal, but just the way he competes."
Artest finished with five defensive rebounds and two steals. after the game, Thomas called him the best defender in the NBA.
"If there's a better defender in this league, I want to see him because from what I see from night to night, he's the best defender in the league, hands down."
Mashburn scored 24 points, three above his average. But with Artest on him most of the night, he made just 8-of-23 shots and missed a pair of jumpers could have given the Hornets momentum.
In two games against Artest, Mashburn has shot 37 percent (16-of-43). On the season, Mashburn is a 42 percent shooter.
"He's an energy-type player and a different type energy player," Mashburn said. "He's not overall athletic, but he stays in front of you. He moves his feet, he plays hard all the time."
Mashburn also faced several double-teams as Thomas used Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington.
"We had a combination of guys really working Mashburn tonight," O'Neal said. "We just tried to wear him out and make his shots tougher. That's what we need, that combination from the two guys. Our defense always sets up our offense. Once you get into the break, it make our game that much easier."
Mashburn's first miss was a jumper that would have cut the deficit to 84-82 with 1:24 remaining. Instead, O'Neal grabbed the rebound, and Miller drained the open 3-pointer over Stacey Augmon.
After Miller's 3-pointer, Mashburn made a pair of 3-pointers to get New Orleans within 87-86. But Artest smothered Mashburn as he took a jumper that was short, giving the Pacers the win.
"You know every single night, he's not going to stop scorers from scoring because the scorers are so good in this league," Thomas said. "But his ability to go out there and compete is something special."
Miller scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, Brad Miller added 20 points and O'Neal chipped in 14 for the Pacers (23-8), who took a one-half game lead over New Jersey for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Artest instantly set the tone for a big second half on New Orleans' first possession as he stole P.J. Brown's pass. Miller finished the play on the other end with 19-foot jump shot.
Miller had 14 points and center Brad Miller added 10. Miller, who was Artest's teammate in Chicago gave the Pacers their first lead since early in the first quarter, when he sank a 20-foot jumper with 2:21 left.
"They're pretty good defensively," Mashburn said. "They're young, they're long, they're physical. We had opportunities to win. We just couldn't put the ball in the hole. They had a good game plan and they stuck to it. They play extremely hard."
props are given...