Pacers-Kings Insider 070306

SACRAMENTO 102, INDIANA 98
Furious Rally Can't Stop Streak

At Sacramento | March 6, 2007

Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy combined for 34 points on 15-of-20 shooting in the second half to bring the Pacers nearly all the way back from a 20-point third-quarter deficit but the Kings held on for a 102-98 victory Tuesday night in Arco Arena.

The Pacers (29-30) extended their longest losing streak of the season to six games and slipped below .500 for the first time since Dec. 11 (when they were 11-12). They had lost their previous five by double-digit margins; only once in franchise history (1988-89) had a team lost six by at least 10.

Playing without Ron Artest, who has been "excused" from the team pending the outcome of his domestic violence case, the Kings (28-32) won their fourth in a row and fifth in six games, improving to 18-12 at home.

Sacramento led 78-58 after a Mike Bibby explosion in the third period but Dunleavy and Murphy combined for 14 points in a 16-0 run that cut the deficit to 78-74. The Pacers, however, were unable to complete the comeback.

PLUSES

If this marks a breakout for the ex-Warriors in terms of their comfort level within the offense, it would be welcome. Dunleavy scored 16 of his 24 in the second half and wound up shooting 10-of-14 from the field. Murphy scored 18 of his 19 after intermission, shooting 8-of-12. Jermaine O'Neal battled foul trouble but managed 22 points and 12 rebounds, though he failed to block a shot. Jamaal Tinsley and Danny Granger scored 11 apiece. The Pacers shot relatively well (.488) and committed just two of their 14 turnovers in the second half. Indiana enjoyed a 24-8 advantage in fast-break points.

MINUSES

Poor 3-point shooting and untimely lapses on the boards continued to plague the team. The Pacers were 1-of-16 from the arc, with Tinsley, Granger and Darrell Armstrong combining for 11 of the misses. They surrendered 17 second-chance points to the notoriously poor-rebounding Kings, nine in the opening minutes of the second half when the lead swelled. The primary problems once again were Bibby (22 points) and Kevin Martin (27), who combined for 112 of Sacramento's 212 points in two games against the Pacers. Corliss Williamson (12) and Shareef Abdur-Rahim (10) combined to make 10-of-13 shots off the bench.

MOMENTS

With Martin scoring 18 of his points while the Pacers committed 12 turnovers, the Kings built a 57-42 lead at the break. Though the Pacers came out much more aggressively to start the third period, thanks largely to Murphy exploiting his quickness advantage over Brad Miller by attacking the basket, the Pacers couldn't come up with enough early stops – and defensive rebounds – to put a dent in the margin. When Bibby scored 12 in a 14-4 run that pushed the lead to 78-58, it appeared the Pacers were destined for another blowout loss, but Dunleavy and Murphy had other ideas.

After the 16-point run, Dunleavy scored the Pacers' first seven points of the fourth quarter as the lead shrank to 84-81, the first of four times the lead was reduced to three. Perhaps the biggest play came when, trailing 95-92, the Pacers got a stop on Bibby's missed jumper – but Miller chased down the offensive rebound, leading to a three-point play by Martin that made it 98-92 with 2:13 remaining.

After Murphy cut it to 98-94 with a running bank shot, the Pacers got another stop but Tinsley banged a 3-pointer off the back iron and Williamson responded with a bucket inside to make it a six-point game. The Pacers answered with baskets by O'Neal and Dunleavy to close to 100-98, but Martin closed it out at the free-throw line, making a pair with 2.4 seconds remaining.

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