Pacers Streak By Nuggets

Making 3-pointers almost at will, the Indiana Pacers sank the Denver Nuggets with a fourth-quarter blowout.

Travis Best scored 13 points in the final quarter and Sam Perkins hit key 3-pointers as the Pacers ran their winning streak to a season-high seven games with a 102-87 victory on Thursday night.

Reggie Miller finished with 20 points, Rik Smits had 17 and Best 15 as Indiana beat the Nuggets for the eighth straight game.

Indiana, leading 76-74 after three quarters, outscored Denver 26-13 in the final period.

Indiana was 12-of-26 from 3-point range, including four by Perkins, while Denver was 4-of-13. Austin Croshere, Perkins, Best and Chris Mullin all hit 3-pointers in the final quarter.

"We'll take as many as we can put up," Miller said. "We have great shooters on our team. Why not use that to our advantage?"

Indiana coach Larry Bird said inside scoring by Smits, who got 12 points in the third quarter, set up the rain of 3s.

"They started gathering in the paint, and we got open looks," Bird said. "We took advantage of what they gave us."

"We played better defense, we made shots, we weren't selfish and Travis controlled the tempo."

Best said the Pacers "made some stops defensively, executed on the offnsive end and found guys for shots. We felt if we broke them down defensively at some point, we were going to stretch our lead. And we did."

After a free throw by LaFrentz cut the deficit to 76-75, Best hit a driving layup and followed with two free throws, and Miller made a fast-break layup for an 82-75 lead.

LaFrentz hit a layup, but Miller countered with two free throws and Austin Croshere hit the first of three straight 3-pointers by the Pacers. Perkins and Best followed with 3s, and Best's 18-foot jumper completed a 19-3 run, making it 95-78 with 5:22 left.

The Pacers also were 14-of-15 from the line compared to Denver's 13-of-23. The Nuggets have shot less than 60 percent from the line in three straight games.

"When you play a team that is this good, you need every advantage that you can have," Nuggets coach Dan Issel said. "At one time we were shooting 41 percent (from the floor) and were 6-of-13 from the line, and we were only down three points. But over the course of a game, shooting that way is going to cost you."

Asked to assess his team's fourth-quarter collapse, Issel said, "They made most of their shots and we missed most of ours. That's a pretty good place to start. We are not playing with the same intensity that we played earlier in the year. We are in a rut."

McDyess, who scored 13 points in the first quarter, ignited an early 8-0 run that saw the Nuggets claim a five-point lead. But 3-pointers by Miller and Mark Jackson brought the Pacers back.

Perkins hit three 3-pointers in a span of 2:23, highlighting an 11-0 flurry that produced a 43-35 lead in the second period. Denver rookie James Posey scored the last five Denver points in the half, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 48-45.

Indiana briefly opened a six-point lead in the third quarter thanks to Smits' 12 points in the period, but Denver's Nick Van Exel scored 10 in the quarter to bring the Nuggets back.

Denver was only 1-for-7 from the field to open the fourth quarter and finished the period 4-for-15.

Notes