Pacers Set the Record for Fewest Points (55)

Larry Bird once scored 60 points in a game. His entire Indiana Pacers team couldn’t even match that Sunday.

The Pacers set a record for the fewest points in a game since the advent of the shot clock in losing, 74-55, to the San Antonio Spurs at Indianapolis.

“I was wondering where we were going to get our scoring from today,” said Bird, Indiana’s rookie coach.

The Pacers played without their two leading scorers. Reggie Miller was suspended for one game for a flagrant foul in Friday’s game against Charlotte and Rik Smits has an injured foot.

The Pacers, who scored 133 points Friday, shot 27% and had nine points in the fourth quarter.

The previous game low was 57, set three times, last by Orlando against Cleveland on Dec. 4, 1996. Indiana also matched the league record for least points in a second half with 21, tying the mark set by Miami at Atlanta on Nov. 15 1996.

“When you miss your two guys that score a lot of points for you, it pushes the burden on the other guys,” Bird said. “I thought at best somebody else would step up.”

Miami 109, Houston 77--Dan Majerle scored a season-high 22 points and Tim Hardaway had 16 points and a season-high 15 assists at Miami as the Heat clinched its second consecutive Atlantic Division title.

Alonzo Mourning outplayed Hakeem Olajuwon in the battle of two of the NBA’s top centers outscoring the Rocket, 16-15, and outrebounding him, 15-4.

The Rockets, who dropped their 13th consecutive regular-season game against Florida teams, were playing without injured Charles Barkley (shoulder) and Clyde Drexler (groin).

Mark Strickland, who has been starting in place of the injured P.J. Brown, added 13 points for the Heat, who won for the fifth time in a row and fourth in a row at home. Overall, Miami has won 23 of its last 27 games.

Philadelphia 99, Boston 94--Derrick Coleman scored 13 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter at Philadelphia as the 76ers ended a five-game losing streak.

Allen Iverson added 20 points for Philadelphia.

Orlando 95, Toronto 68--Horace Grant scored 16 points and the Magic held the Raptors to the fewest points in their history at Toronto.

Doug Christie was the only offensive presence for Toronto, scoring 20 points.

Orlando, which came into the game in a three-way tie with the New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, improved to 37-35.

Chicago 104, Milwaukee 87--Michael Jordan scored 30 points, many of them with flashbulbs popping throughout the Bradley Center, as the Bulls won their ninth in a row.

If Jordan follows through on his promise that this is his final season, then fans at Milwaukee--about evenly divided cheering for the Bulls and the Bucks--wanted to make sure they captured the moment on film.

Jordan spent much of the second and fourth quarters on the bench.

He played less than 3 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter, but his consecutive fadeaway jumpers had the fans standing and cheering late in the game. The crowd began to file out after Jordan left the game with 1:05 left and the Bulls ahead, 100-83.

Atlanta 118, Detroit 95--Tyrone Corbin and Steve Smith scored 20 points each and the Hawks scored a season high in points at Atlanta.

The Hawks scored a season-low 74 points in a loss to Chicago on Friday night. But on Sunday, six Hawks scored in double figures as the team surpassed a previous season-high of 117 points at Toronto on March 17.

Phoenix 106, Vancouver 98--Cliff Robinson scored 20 points and Kevin Johnson came off the bench to contribute 15 points and 11 assists at Phoenix.

Danny Manning broke a 94-94 tie with an 18-foot jumper with just over two minutes remaining. The Suns did most of the rest of their scoring from the foul line as they closed the game with a 12-4 run.

Cleveland 97, Charlotte 82--Shawn Kemp had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Derek Anderson scored 16 for the Cavaliers at Cleveland.

Charlotte looked nothing like the team with the fourth-best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Hornets shot 29% in the first half, trailing, 52-28.

Minnesota 104, Sacramento 96--Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 32 points with 14 rebounds at Sacramento as the Timberwolves sent the Kings to their 11th-straight loss.

The Timberwolves, winners of three straight and five of six, led by 10 points after three quarters and opened the fourth with a 9-2 run for an 85-68 lead, their biggest of the game.

Portland 99, Golden State 83--Isaiah Rider had 21 points, including 14 in the third quarter for the Trail Blazers at Oakland.

The Warriors have lost 10 of their last 11 games.

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Where’s the Point?

The fewest points scored by one team in an NBA game since the 24-second shot clock was introduced for the 1954-55 season:

55--Indiana vs. San Antonio, March 29, 1998.

57--Orlando vs. Cleveland, Dec. 4, 1996.

57--Philadelphia vs. Miami, Feb. 21, 1996.

57--Milwaukee vs. Boston, Feb. 27, 1955.

59--Portland at Indiana, Feb. 27, 1998.

59--Cleveland at San Antonio, March 25, 1997.

59--Sacramento at Charlotte, Jan. 10, 1991.

61--Indiana at Cleveland, March 22, 1994.

61--New York at Detroit, April 12, 1992.

62--New Jersey vs. Cleveland, Jan. 28, 1997.

62--Boston vs. Milwaukee, Feb. 27, 1955.