NBA ROUNDUP : Pacers Hope Season Takes Off After Rallying Past the Rockets

Winning in Houston has proven rare for Indiana.

Reggie Miller, however, scored 20 second-half points, capped by a three-point play with 35 seconds left, that helped the Pacers rally for an 88-83 victory Saturday night over the Rockets.

“Last year, we turned our season around with a win here. Hopefully, we’ll get a little deja vu,” Miller said.

Indiana’s victory at the Summit was its second in a row after 18 consecutive losses. It also gave Coach Larry Brown the 500th victory of his NBA career.

Miller led Indiana with 23 points, followed by Derrick McKey with 16.

Hakeem Olajuwon led Houston, whose six-game winning streak was snapped, with 27 points and 15 rebounds.

Neither team led by more than four points until the final basket, and the lead changed hands nine times in the fourth quarter.

Sacramento 96, Miami 95--Mitch Richmond scored 27 points, including two free throws with 1.7 seconds left, as the Kings handed the Heat its sixth consecutive road loss.

Walt Williams also scored 27 points for the Kings.

Glen Rice paced Miami with 23 points.

Charlotte 106, Boston 98--Alonzo Mourning scored 33 points and Charlotte tied a franchise record with its fifth consecutive victory in beating the Celtics in Charlotte, N.C.

The Hornets’ 200th franchise victory also put them seven games above .500 (19-12) for the first time in team history.

Larry Johnson added 23 points for the Hornets, who also got 20 from Muggsy Bogues. Dominique Wilkins had 24 points for the Celtics.

Hornet Coach Allan Bristow was ejected at 4:22 of the final quarter for arguing a foul call.

Phoenix 109, Denver 100--Reserves Danny Manning and Danny Ainge scored 11 and eight points, respectively, in the fourth quarter, helping the Suns hold off the Nuggets in Denver.

Charles Barkley scored 22 points and had seven rebounds and five assists, and Manning finished with 20 points.

Nugget Coach Dan Issel was ejected midway through the third quarter after being whistled for two quick technical fouls.

Cleveland 92, Chicago 78--Terrell Brandon scored a career-high 24 points, leading the Cavaliers to a victory over the Bulls in Cleveland.

Brandon, starting in place of Mark Price, who has a sprained right ankle, also had seven rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers snapped a two-game losing streak that followed a team-record tying 11-game winning streak.

Chicago lost its second in a row after winning five of its previous six games. The Bulls were led by guard B.J. Armstrong’s 17 points.

Atlanta 102, New Jersey 85--Ken Norman scored 13 of his 22 points in the third quarter, helping rally the Hawks past the Nets in Atlanta.

It was the Hawks’ second consecutive victory, following the one over the Bullets on Friday night that gave Coach Lenny Wilkens his record 939th.

Derrick Coleman led the Nets with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Utah 111, Philadelphia 90--Jeff Hornacek scored 21 points, Karl Malone added 20 and John Stockton had 20 assists in three quarters as the Jazz defeated the 76ers in Salt Lake City.

Dana Barros scored 32 for Philadelphia, which lost its fifth in a row. Shawn Bradley, in his first regular-season return to his home state, scored 12 points.

Portland 114, Washington 105--Rod Stickland scored a career-high 31 points and added 11 assists in Landover, Md., as the Blazers handed the Bullets their seventh consecutive loss and won their third road game in a row.

Calbert Cheaney had 22 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Bullets, who have lost 15 of their last 16.

NBA Notes

Atlanta Hawk Coach Lenny Wilkens donated a $20,000 check from the NBA saluting his record 939th coaching victory to the Odessa Brown Children’s Home in Seattle. . . . Detroit Piston center Oliver Miller, initially expected to miss four to five weeks, said that he plans to play again in about 10 days, his broken hand healed and ready for action. He also acknowledged taking a swing at a bar patron who had insulted him, but said he had used his good hand in the altercation. No charges were filed after the Dec. 29 incident.