Overtime Belongs to Millers

The Indiana Pacers couldn’t go wrong getting the ball to a Miller in overtime.

Reggie Miller and Brad Miller scored Indiana’s 14 points in overtime and made five of six free throws in the final 36 seconds, and the Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 112-107, Friday night at Indianapolis.

Reggie Miller scored a season-high 30 points, Brad Miller had 24 points and eight rebounds and Jermaine O’Neal had 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Indiana keep its playoff hopes alive.

The Pacers and Bucks each are 39-40, but Milwaukee has the tiebreaker with a 3-1 advantage in the season series. The Pacers will have to finish with a better record to avoid not qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 1996-97.

“This puts us in a better situation, but we’re not there yet,” Brad Miller said. “We’ve got an opportunity to go and win out. Hopefully, that will put us in a position to make the playoffs. It should be really easy to motivate us to go out there and play.”

Jonathan Bender scored 16 points for Indiana, including the game-tying free throws with 36 seconds left in regulation.

Ray Allen and Sam Cassell each had 24 points for the Bucks, who have lost 11 in a row on the road.

The score was tied, 107-107, when Ervin Johnson was called for his sixth foul, going over the back of Brad Miller. Miller made one of two free throws for a 108-107 lead. Reggie Miller then made four consecutive free throws.

San Antonio 96, Detroit 86--Tim Duncan had 32 points and 11 rebounds at Auburn Hills, Mich., surpassing a four-figure milestone.

Duncan became the 14th player in the league to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a season.

Detroit’s loss allowed New Jersey to clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Spurs moved a half-game ahead of Dallas in the Midwest Division.

Toronto 112, Atlanta 73--Jerome Williams and Keon Clark each scored 20 points at Toronto and the Raptors moved ahead of Milwaukee for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia 100, Washington 91--Dikembe Mutombo had 24 points and 16 rebounds at Philadelphia for the 76ers, who need one more victory or a loss by Indiana to clinch a playoff spot.

Charlotte 112, Cleveland 100--David Wesley scored a season-high 30 points and the host Hornets clinched a spot in the playoffs. Jamal Mashburn had 25 points and 11 assists.

Boston 107, New York 92--Antoine Walker scored 26 points at Boston and the Celtics never trailed, giving the Knicks their first 50-loss season in 15 years.

Paul Pierce had 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and seven steals for Boston, which swept the season series for the first time in 11 years.

Miami 99, Orlando 94--Eddie House scored a career-high 28 points at Miami and the Heat, out of playoff contention, overcame Tracy McGrady’s 34 points and 11 rebounds to win for only the fourth time in 13 games.

Denver 97, Golden State 89--James Posey scored 17 points at Denver and the Nuggets ended a four-game skid.

Portland 80, Houston 79--Bonzi Wells scored 29 points at Houston, including the game-winner with 18 seconds to play.