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Kings-Pacers: 56k | 300k Speed Stick Never Quits Highlight: 56k | 300k |
The teams last met on March 9 in Sacramento, while Indiana was listing through a winless road trip. The Kings strolled to a 107-88 victory and were accused of running up the score by the Pacers.
Forwards Al Harrington of Indiana and Gerald Wallace of Sacramento tussled late in the game, and Harrington and teammate Jermaine O'Neal vowed revenge when the Kings visited Conseco Fieldhouse.
But the problems for the Pacers have continued, and they finally relented in a seesaw fourth quarter. Pollard teamed with Chris Webber to control both backboards and give the Kings the push they needed.
"We knew Indiana would be difficult because in Sacramento they were shorthanded," Webber said. "So this is a good win for us, to be able to beat them with all their guys."
Sidelined most of the season following back surgery, Pollard scored seven points in the fourth quarter and did a credible job on O'Neal. Webber scored six of his 22 points in succession to give the Kings the lead for good at 90-86 with 2:10 remaining.
"Pollard came in and was huge in the second half when Vlade (Divac) went out," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "He played Jermaine very well."
"Pollard played great tonight," Webber said. "This is the kind of game made for him. He loves to bang in the paint and do all the dirty work."
Peja Stojakovic scored 26 points for Sacramento (53-22), which improved to 2-1 on its six-game road trip and is two wins from clinching its second straight Pacific Division title.
O'Neal had 24 points and 10 boards for the Pacers (43-31), who fell 1½ games behind third-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.
"There are no pluses when you lose," O'Neal said. "I can't take positives from a loss. Maybe in your book, but not in my book."
There were 12 lead changes and three ties in the fourth quarter. The teams traded the lead for nine straight scores until Ron Artest's three-point play gave Indiana a 79-77 lead with 7:57 to go.
Free throws by Hedo Turkoglu and Pollard tied it, and Stojakovic drilled a three-pointer before Pollard kept alive a rebound that Webber put home for an 84-79 lead with 5:32 to play.
The Pacers stormed back behind O'Neal, who had a three-point play and two foul shots around a basket by Erick Strickland for an 86-84 advantage with 4:18 remaining.
Pollard kept alive another rebound that Webber turned into the tying hoop. Webber gave the Kings the lead for good when he followed in his own miss and added two free throws for a four-point bulge.
"Scot and Chris did a great job on the boards," Stojakovic said. "They dominated, not just offensively but defensively as well."
"We just couldn't get a rebound," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. "And at the end of the day, that's what beat us."
Reggie Miller threw in a three-pointer, but Mike Bibby answered with a runner in the lane. Pollard added three free throws after misses by Miller and Artest, making it 95-89 with 38 seconds left.
Bibby scored 17 points for the Kings, who won despite shooting just 38 percent (33-of-84). They compensated by making 32-of-43 free throws and holding a 56-47 edge on the glass.
"You can't be happy at any point when you get outrebounded," O'Neal said. "We stopped them on defense. They got a shot off, they got the rebound and put it back."
Artest scored 23 points and Miller added 15 for the Pacers, who shot 41 percent (37-of-91), including just 3-of-17 from the arc.
The Pacers came out with revenge on their minds, scoring the first eight points and racing to a 13-2 lead. O'Neal had 14 points in the first half, which ended with Indiana holding a 52-43 lead.
Sacramento pecked away in the third quarter and eventually took a 64-62 lead with 1:06 left on a jumper by Webber, who made just 6-of-22 shots.
"Tonight I wasn't hitting my shots but I had to do things like play defense and rebound in order to contribute," Webber said.







