Pacers Dismantle Bucks 110-88

It's makeup time for the Indiana Pacers, who played Sunday night like the Eastern Conference favorites everybody thought they were before the season started.

"Everybody knows that we didn't have the kind of success we wanted in the regular season," said reserve Jalen Rose, who scored a playoff career-high 24 points, including 17 in the second quarter, as Indiana's mastery of the Milwaukee Bucks continued Sunday with a 110-88 victory in the opening game of their best-of-5 series.

"I noticed the middle was pretty much open. We just had to take advantage of it after they trapped and we threw the ball back out. I just tried to attack the basket," Rose said.

Indiana held off a third quarter surge by Milwaukee, which reduced a 14-point halftime deficit to six late in the quarter. The Pacers responded by taking a 20-point lead several times in the fourth quarter.

"They were good. They had a lot of people helping," said Milwaukee coach George Karl, who was upset over the officiating. "They played very well. The only thing we were shocked by was the referreeing. They are allowed to foul."

Indiana, which was whistled for 23 fouls to the Bucks' 29, did most of the damage in the final quarter with its reserves on the court. Indiana's bench outscored Milwaukee's 55-19.

Reggie Miller, who saw limited action in the second half, had 16 points. Dale Davis also had 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Chris Mullin scored 15 as Indiana defeated the Bucks for the eighth consecutive time.

"Dale Davis brought a lot of energy to the game. I really felt that everybody was into it. They were focused, and I think they're ready," Indiana coach arry Bird said.

Rose, a 40-percent shooter for the season, was 9-of-10 from the field and made all three of his 3-point attempts.

"Jalen's not really a shooter. He's a scorer," Bird said. "They did a lot of double-teaming on him, which we feel is to our advantage because we feel he can make the plays."

The Pacers took the lead for good with a 12-2 run that began with Milwaukee ahead 22-19 and 3:24 left in the first period.

The Bucks, in the playoffs for the first time since 1991, had taken a 9-2 lead before Indiana began asserting its playoff experience.

"After 10-12 minutes, I thought they really settled down. On the defensive end, they really got after people," Bird said of his team, which outrebounded the Bucks 51-33 and outscored them 29-15 on second chance points.

Two free throws by Miller with 3:24 left in the opening period began the run as the Bucks were going 3@1/2 minutes without scoring. Miller, Indiana's career-leader in playoff scoring, had 10 in the opening period which ended with the Pacers leading 27-24.

Rose scored 17 points in the second period, sparking the Pacers to a 60-46 lead at halftime. Rose had Indiana's final eight points in the last 54 seconds of the half, hitting a 3-pointer, a layup and a three-point play. Earlier, his two free throws with 9:52 left in the half capped Indiana's go-ahead run.

Ray Allen, who had struggled as Indiana swept the Bucks in three meetings during the regular season, led the Bucks with 22 points. Sam Cassell had 19 in his first start for Milwaukee.

"We didn't rebound the ball well," Allen said. "It wasn't really a lack of calls. Everything was intensified and the fans were really in the game. They really helped their team. This was our first playoff game and now we know what to expect. ... We had the intensity when we started, but we leveled off in the second quarter."

Indiana dominated the boards 26-14 in the first half with Dale Davis bringing down seven and Antonio Davis having six.

Game 2 is Tuesday night at Market Square Arena before the series shifts to Milwaukee for the third game Thursday.

Notes: Former Pacer Haywoode Workman came off the bench for the first time with Milwaukee after starting the team's final 29 games. ... The teams are meeting in the playoffs for the first time. ... Cassell was the only Milwaukee starter with playoff experience. Bothered by an ankle injury all season, he had played only 199 minutes in eight games.

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