Grizzlies Put Stop to Miller Time

The Memphis Grizzlies survived a desperation three-point basket from Reggie Miller, making sure not to give the Indiana Pacers another chance in overtime.

Miller’s shot at the end of regulation tied the score, but the Grizzlies outscored the Pacers, 6-1, down the stretch of overtime to defeat Indiana, 108-103, Tuesday night at Memphis, Tenn.

“I think we were controlling the game pretty good, and it hurt us that they forced overtime,� said Pau Gasol, who led the Grizzlies with 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots. “That was a tough shot, last-second, but we should have won it in regular time.�

The Grizzlies won for the third time in four games since the All-Star break.

In the last week, they have defeated division leaders Indiana and New Jersey and won on the road at Milwaukee. Their only loss in that span was to the Mavericks.

Miller missed the opening shot in the final sequence of regulation from the top of the key but tracked it down in the right corner, pumped and made the jump shot.

Like the Grizzlies, Miller was disappointed there was even a need for overtime, especially since the Pacers led by as many as 12 in the first half.

“The game shouldn’t have gone into overtime,� Miller said. “We lost our focus and our poise. We didn’t maintain what got us the big lead in the first place.�

In overtime, the teams were tied at 102 with 2 minutes 50 seconds remaining before Wesley Person scored four in the final 6-1 run.

Jason Williams had 18 points and nine assists, Shane Battier had 15 points and Lorenzen Wright finished with 14 points for the Grizzlies.

Jermaine O’Neal and Ron Artest led the Pacers with 23 points each and O’Neal had 15 rebounds. Miller finished with 22 points, 15 coming in the second half.

Memphis Coach Hubie Brown was ejected at the 8:56 mark of the first quarter, getting back-to-back technicals, first from Sean Corbin, then from Steve Javie. Lionel Hollins replaced Brown running the team.

“After the coach left, I told the guys, ‘It doesn’t matter who’s coaching you guys, you still have to play the game,’ � Hollins said. “They were a little bit wobbly and unstable having somebody else’s voice in the huddle.

“Once they got comfortable, they turned it around and got to playing the way that we have been playing since the All-Star break.�

Despite missing 14 of their first 17 shots and having their coach ejected, the Grizzlies managed to lead, 48-45, at the half. Gasol had nine to lead Memphis.

“Right now, we’re not playing smart enough as a team,� Indiana Coach Isiah Thomas said. “We fight, we hustle, we do all those things. We’re just not smart enough right now to gut the games out.�

Boston 125, Golden State 117 -- Paul Pierce had 31 points and 12 assists to help the Celtics win at Oakland. Walter McCarty added 24 points as the Celtics extended their record to 4-1 on their current trip. Boston won in Oakland for the first time since 1995. Antawn Jamison had 39 points and 13 rebounds and Gilbert Arenas had 22 points and 12 assists for the Warriors.

Dallas 105, Atlanta 79 -- Michael Finley scored 26 points and reserve Walt Williams added 15 points as the Mavericks took early control and eased to the victory at Dallas, allowing Coach Don Nelson to rest his starters in the blowout. Dallas started the game with a 17-2 run, making seven of its first eight shots while Atlanta missed its first nine field-goal attempts.

New Jersey 84, Miami 79 -- Jason Kidd fed Jason Collins for a go-ahead three-point play with 1:50 remaining then made a clinching three-point basket with 5.8 seconds left to secure the victory for the Nets at East Rutherford, N.J. Kidd had nine of his 12 points, five of his 10 assists and three of his eight rebounds in the fourth quarter.

Orlando 99, New Orleans 94 -- The Magic rallied from a 12-point deficit with five minutes remaining at Orlando, Fla., and ended a three-game losing streak. Mike Miller and Tracy McGrady each scored 24 points for Orlando. McGrady made only nine of 26 from the field and failed to top 30 points for only the third time in the last 16 games.

Chicago 107, Cleveland 101 -- Jalen Rose scored 28 points to help Chicago gain only its third road victory with the win at Cleveland. Rookie Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 12 rebounds and helped spark the Cavaliers from a 17-point deficit. Cleveland pulled to within two points at 94-92 with 4:45 to play, but Rose made a jump shot and the Bulls pulled away.

Sacramento 102, Milwaukee 93 -- Vlade Divac had 21 points and 19 rebounds and Bobby Jackson broke his slump with five consecutive points down the stretch to help the Kings win at Sacramento. Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points as the Kings won for the third time in four games on a seven-game homestand.

San Antonio 101, Denver 76 -- Bruce Bowen scored 18 points as the Spurs played their first home game in 23 days and earned their ninth consecutive victory. Denver lost its sixth in a row.

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Sacramento guard Mike Bibby said he will accept an invitation to play for the 2004 U.S. men’s Olympic team, with Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz also expected to join the roster.