NBA ROUNDUP : Pacers Slip by Bucks, 101-97

After finishing last in the NBA Central Division last season, the Indiana Pacers are finding out what life at the other end of the standings is like.

Vern Fleming and Detlef Schrempf each scored 21 points, including 13 and 10, respectively, in the fourth quarter as the Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 101-97, Monday night at Milwaukee.

The Pacers (7-4) lead the division by a half-game over defending NBA champion Detroit. Milwaukee dropped to 6-6.

Schrempf’s three-point play with 22 seconds left gave the Pacers a 99-97 lead, and Chuck Person added two free throws 19 seconds later.

Rik Smits scored 25 points for Indiana. Ricky Pierce led the Bucks with 22, and Jay Humphries had 17.

Trailing 93-87, the Pacers outscored the Bucks, 9-1, and took their first lead of the second half, 96-94, with 1:04 to play. Fleming had five points and Schrempf four in the streak.

New York 119, Charlotte 108--Johnny Newman scored 12 of his 23 points in a decisive third-quarter streak as the Knicks improved their record to 6-0 at New York.

The Knicks led by only four points at halftime but outscored the Hornets, 38-23, in the third quarter.

New York started the second half with a 9-2 run for a 70-59 advantage. Later in the third period, Newman scored eight points during a 17-4 surge that made it 89-69 with 4:02 left in the quarter.

New York led by 24 points in the fourth quarter before the Hornets closed the gap as Rex Chapman scored 18 of his career-high 38 points in the final quarter.

Patrick Ewing had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Charles Oakley had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks. Rookie J.R. Reid scored 15 points for Charlotte.

The Knicks took a 27-19 lead with eight consecutive points late in the first quarter and led by eight on four other occasions.

Utah 105, New Jersey 68--At Salt Lake City, Karl Malone had 22 points and 17 rebounds and John Stockton added 10 points and 10 assists as the Jazz held the Nets to their lowest point total in their history.

Joe Barry Carroll scored 15 points for the Nets, whose 68 points erased their previous low of 73 against Indiana in 1977. The previous low against the Jazz was 73 by Sacramento last season.