Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!maytag!looking!clarinews From: clarinews@clarinet.com (SCOTT HORNER) Newsgroups: clari.sports.basketball Subject: (Indiana Pacers 111, Milwaukee Bucks 109) Keywords: basketball, men's professional Message-ID: <1Rbkp-pacers_96@clarinet.com> Date: 14 Jan 90 04:14:40 GMT Lines: 47 Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com ACategory: sports Slugword: bkp-pacers Priority: regular Format: game story X-Supersedes: ANPA: Wc: 527; Id: s0021; Sel: ns--s; Adate: 1-13-1115pes; Ver: ld Codes: yskpgxx. Note: (alternate lead) INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) -- Reggie Miller is making a run at becoming the first Indiana Pacer to make the All-Star squad since 1977, the team's inaugural NBA season. Miller hit the game-winning off-balance, 17-foot jumper with one second remaining Saturday night to lead the Pacers over the Milwaukee Bucks 111-109. Miller scored after getting an in-bounds pass with six seconds remaining and being hounded by Bucks' guard Jay Humphries on the dribble. ``They played straight up on me. Six seconds is a lot of time to take the ball to the hole,'' said Miller, who is averaging more than 23 points a game and hitting better than 50 percent from the field. ``I left it to my floater and it went in.'' Miller, who has scored in double figures in every game this season, had just 9 points entering the fourth period, but scored 5 points in the opening minute of the final quarter to cut Milwaukee's lead to 87-85. ``The whole third quarter I was just getting into the flow. I didn't even score. I was getting ready for the fourth quarter,'' he said. ``Beginning in the fourth quarter I burst into the scene, getting back into the game that way.'' The Pacers, 21-15, took their first lead of the second half at 95-93 with 8:19 remaining on a LaSalle Thompson rebound basket. Indiana stretched the lead to 103-97 with 4:41 left on a Vern Fleming layup. However, the Bucks scored 6 straight points to tie the game at 109 on two Ricky Pierce free throws with 29 seconds left. Each team had a chance to take the lead before Indiana's final possession. ``Reggie got it and he took it to the open side. That's a shot he can make,'' said Indiana coach Dick Versace. ``Reggie is having an All-Star year. You can't argue with that.'' After a 56-56 halftime tie, the Bucks took an 81-74 lead with 2:42 left in the third period on a pair of Paul Pressey free throws. The Bucks led 87-80 entering the final period. ``We weren't able to work with the lead at all. We also weren't aggressive offensively or defensively, so we had to go to some different people and press more,'' said Milwaukee coach Del Harris. Chuck Person led the Pacers with 26 points and Rik Smits had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Pierce came off the bench to lead Milwaukee with 22 points, and five other players scored in double figures for the Bucks, 19-16. Milwaukee hit 6 of its first 7 shots, taking a 14-8 lead with 8:38 remaining in the first period after a Jack Sikma 3-pointer. Indiana followed with 9 straight points to take a 17-14 lead on a Person jump shot with 6:24 left. A 9-0 run over parts of the first and second periods pushed Indiana's lead to 39-26 on Detlef Schrempf's basket with 10:10 remaining in the first half. The Bucks outscored Indiana 11-4 in the last three minutes of the half to tie the game at 56.