Terry said after the Pacer's game

[hawkster411]

Terry, Hawks take advantage of Miller ejection

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ATLANTA (AP) -- This time, Reggie Miller wasn't around to beat the Atlanta Hawks at the end.

Miller was ejected in the first quarter and Jason Terry scored 16 of his 26 points in the final period, helping the Hawks end a four-game losing streak with a 99-86 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.

Just two nights earlier, Miller scored 26 points and hit a 3-pointer in overtime to beat the Hawks 98-97 at Indianapolis.

In the rematch, he was thrown out of the game for complaining to the officials during a wild first quarter that put the Pacers in a hole the rest of the way.

"That helped us out,'' said Glenn Robinson, who scored 25 points for the Hawks. "Reggie can hurt you with his 3-point shooting. He gets the calls and gets to the free-throw line. We didn't need him out there.''

The Hawks had some good fortune after losing their previous three games by a combined five points.

Indiana was called for five technical fouls in the opening period -- four in a span of 19 seconds. The Hawks made 15 of 17 free throws in the quarter, building a 15-point lead.

"I don't know what happened,'' said coach Isiah Thomas, who also got T'd up. "I just know technicals were being called all over the place.''

The Hawks weren't about to complain.

"I told my guys to keep their mouths shut,'' coach Terry Stotts said. "Obviously, not having Reggie out there is nice, but they're very deep team and very dangerous.''

The Pacers, whose only lead came on the game's first basket, closed to 49-45 at halftime and got as close as one point early in the third period. But the Hawks never relinquished the lead.

Terry, the subject of almost daily rumors with Thursday's trade deadline approaching, hit a couple of key 3-pointers in the fourth to put away Indiana.

"We're at our best when we're in transition,'' Terry said. "We found our shooters and knocked down shots.''

Jamaal Tinsley scored 21 points to lead the Pacers, who were held below 90 points for only the 11th time in 53 games. They shot just 35.5 percent from the field and missed 11 free throws.

The ejection of Miller came after Atlanta's Theo Ratliff blocked Jermaine O'Neal's shot under the basket -- a play the Pacers thought should have been a foul.

Miller, who started the game, was on the bench when the block was made. He drew a technical from referee Joey Crawford for coming on the court to protest.

Miller returned to his seat but wouldn't stop talking. Referee Bill Spooner gave him another technical just seven seconds later, resulting in an automatic ejection.

"It made a huge difference,'' Thomas said. "Reggie's been playing extremely well for us. He's a huge threat and weapon for what we do.''

Thomas waved his arms in disgust and also received a technical from Crawford.

Only 12 more seconds passed before Crawford gave the Pacers another technical -- their fifth of the quarter. This time, it went to O'Neal.

Earlier in the period, Brad Miller also received a technical for complaining about a call.

"That wasn't what cost us the game,'' he said. "We didn't execute. The technicals happened in the first few minutes. The game is 48 minutes.''

Reggie Miller had already left the locker room after the game and wasn't available for comment.

Robinson came in needing 11 points to reach the 13,000-point milestone. He got it with 1:47 left in the first, hitting one of his patented mid-range jumpers from 13 feet.

Robinson scored 12 points in the opening period, getting a big assist from all those technicals. He went 8-for-8 from the foul line.

"It's a great accomplishment,'' Robinson said. "I was unaware of it until (teammate Chris Crawford) told me when I came out of the game. I have to credit J.T. (Terry) for it. He gave me the pass.''

Terry showcased his game for any team that may be interested. He hit 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point stripe, dished out seven assists and made two steals.

Terry would prefer to remain with the Hawks.

"This is my home. I love it here,'' he said. "I would definitely be a little hurt if they traded me.''

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JT:

"This is my home. I love it here,'' he said. "I would definitely be a little hurt if they traded me.''

Well, for one, I would love to keep JT in a Hawks uniform. If we had to trade somebody, I would trade small. I say Nazr/filler for Crawford. I'm not big on trading our starters, yet. I still have faith with this team. I want to see what happens if we do pull a Crawford deal and see how everything pans out.

I believe this summer we will be seeing a lot of changes. I see babcock getting fired. Also, I see us resigning JT. I think the Hawks will make another move to move up in the draft. Of course, all depending on how we perform at the end of the season and if we trade JT before the trading deadline.