NBA Game Summary - Indiana at Utah

Salt Lake City, UT (Basketball News) - Stephen Jackson netted a season-high 30 points and Reggie Miller added 24 as Indiana topped Utah, 89-83, at the Delta Center.

Anthony Johnson finished with 13 points and nine assists for the Pacers, who blew a 25-point first-quarter lead before rallying in the fourth to earn just their second win in their last six games.

Mehmet Okur compiled 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Jazz, who have dropped three in a row following a three-game win streak. Matt Harpring also scored 18 points and Andrei Kirilenko had 16 in defeat.

Utah dug itself out of its tremendous early hole and took its first lead of the night when Harpring buried an outside jumper with five minutes remaining to make the score 78-77. Two Raja Bell free throws with 3:20 to go extended the margin to three points.

After Jackson made two foul shots to bring the Pacers within one, Johnson sank a 19-footer with 2:32 left to put Indiana back ahead. Miller’s fadeaway with just over a minute to play staked the visitors to an 83-80 lead.

Harpring then committed a turnover and fouled Jackson, who made both attempts to extend the margin to five with 56 seconds left.

Okur’s putback with 14 seconds on the clock pulled Utah within three points, but Austin Croshere made two free throws on the ensuing possession to preserve the win.

"We knew they were going to make a run," said Miller. "We showed a great resilience by holding on."

Indiana sunk its first five shots and went ahead 13-0 less than three minutes in. The lead grew to 17 when Miller, who poured in 15 points during the period, buried an outside jumper near the five-minute mark to give the visitors a commanding 21-4 advantage.

"The most frustrating part is the way we came out," said Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan. "We couldn’t get close enough to guard anybody. If they wanted to shoot in our face, they did. If they want to drive, they did."

The Pacers continued to pour it on and went up 33-8 after a Miller three- pointer late in the first quarter. Utah would score the final eight points of the period, six coming from Keith McLeod, to cut the deficit to 17.

Indiana maintained a double-digit cushion through the second quarter and went into the break with a comfortable 55-42 lead.

"Maybe we came out a little sluggish," said McLeod of the Jazz’s first-half performance. We weren’t pushing the ball down the floor."

However, Utah began to chip away with a strong third period. Kirilenko scored seven points during an 8-2 run which cut the deficit to 63-54 with under four minutes left in the quarter. A three-pointer by McLeod followed by Gordan Giricek’s basket at the buzzer brought the Jazz within 69-64.