Pacers 85, Hawks 78

<p>Reggie Miller scored 13 points, all in the fourth quarter, to lead the Indiana Pacers to an 85-78 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.</p><p>Miller, who didnt score his first basket until there was 6:06 remaining, hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Indiana a 68-65 lead with 5:28 left. A third 3-pointer two minutes later put Indiana ahead by a point, and a six-point flurry from Jermaine ONeal put the Pacers ahead for good.</p><p>ONeal finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Ron Artest added 23 points _ the fifth straight game hes scored at least 20, the longest streak by an Indiana player the season.</p><p>The win gave the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers (29-11) a 3-0 series advantage over Atlanta this season.</p><p>Miller was able to help the Pacers through a 34.4 percent shooting slump in the second half, including 30 percent from 3-point range.</p><p>The Hawks, who halted a three-game losing streak Tuesday night with a win against the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, gave the Pacers all they could handle in the fourth quarter.</p><p>Atlanta opened the quarter on a 10-0 run, holding the Pacers scoreless for more than three minutes. Jason Terry had a pair of baskets, including a 3 that tied the score at 58.</p><p>The Hawks made all four shots from the foul line to keep things close, but went without an answer for the one-two punch of ONeal and Artest down the stretch.</p><p>Shareef Abdur-Rahim led five Atlanta players in double figures with 16 points. Terry added 15 points and nine rebounds.</p><p>Theo Ratliff, second in the league in blocked shots, had three against Indiana and finished with seven points.</p><p>The Pacers used a 7-0 run to break a 17-all tie in a tight first quarter.</p><p>ONeal was slow to start. He missed his first four shots from the field before he got going in the second quarter. With Jamaal Tinsley, Artest and Miller watching from the bench, ONeal led a team of reserves on an 8-2 run before getting a technical foul with 5:08 left.</p><p>Indiana was able to fend off a late Atlanta surge to hold on for a 37-34 lead at halftime.</p><p>Notes:@ Pacers forward Jonathan Bender, out all season after left knee surgery, made his season debut when he entered at the start of the second quarter. He went 0-for-5 from the field and finished with two points and five rebounds in 14 minutes. ... Atlanta coach Terry Stotts was a standout player at Bloomington North High School, earning all-state honors his senior season after averaging 25 points and 15 rebounds. ... The Pacers have won nine straight home games against the Hawks and 14 of the past 20 overall. ... Hawks forward Stephen Jackson is about to become a father. His fiancee, Imani Showalter, is expected to give birth to their first child any day now, he said.</p>

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