1,000 Wins For Larry Brown

Around the NBA

It took Reggie Miller’s heroics Friday night to give Larry Brown the 1,000th victory of his coaching career.

Miller hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Indiana Pacers 97-94 win over the Boston Celtics.

“I told my assistants to shoot me if it ever got to 1,000 losses,” Brown said. “I’m grateful. I never imagined I’d do this this long. I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people, but don’t let me get to 1,000 losses, unless there’s 2,000 wins there.”

Brown is 594-448 in the NBA. He was 229-107 as an ABA coach and 177-61 in college.

The Pacers overcame a seven-point deficit in the final quarter, winning when Miller took an inbounds pass from Vincent Askew with 1.2 seconds to go and immediately put up the shot. Miller scored 25 points, 15 in the fourth quarter.

“I told Vince after the timeout to look for me,” Miller said. “I think he saw I was wide open and he made a great pass. It felt like I was wide open. I got a great look. I couldn’t ask for a better shot.”

It was Boston’s 13th loss in 14 regular-season games at Market Square Arena.

Derrick McKey contributed season-highs of 17 points and seven assists for the Pacers, along with seven rebounds.

Matchup doesn’t jell

Michael Jordan scored 32 points and the Chicago Bulls, playing without Dennis Rodman, didn’t have to face the NBA’s leading rebounder in a 113-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, N.J.

What could have been an exciting matchup between power forwards Jayson Williams and Rodman instead was a yawner as Chicago opened a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter and was never threatened thereafter.

Rodman sat out the last game of a team-imposed twogame suspension. Williams, who leads the NBA with 16.1 rebounds per game, did not play because of strained ligaments in his right thumb.

Elsewhere

Tom Gugliotta scored 25 points, including a corner jumper with 16 seconds left, as Minnesota snapped Phoenix’s five-game winning streak, 108-105 in Minneapolis. … Bob Sura had a career-high 22 points and Tyrone Hill added a season-high 20 as the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame early foul trouble by three starters to beat the Golden State Warriors 101-87 in Cleveland… . Vlade Divac scored 16 of his 20 points in the final 31 minutes and the Charlotte Hornets beat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 84-75. … Chris Webber had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaren Jackson hit a desperation 3-pointer in the final minute as the Washington Bullets handed the Denver Nuggets their ninth straight loss, 108-104 in Landover, Md.

McMillan checkup due

Nate McMillan, pulled off the court in pain after 19 minutes of play against the Milwaukee Bucks, will be reassessed after practice today, the Sonics say.

McMillan was worried he had reinjured the right groin muscle that kept him off the court for 18 games. He left the Bucks game Thursday night after being hurt in a collision with Bucks guard Elliott Perry during a baseline scramble for a loose ball with 9:26 left.

Penny Hardaway, who returned to action this week after missing 12 games because of knee surgery, will be sidelined the rest of Orlando’s road trip because of swelling in his left hamstring and upper calf muscle.

Forward Dontonio Wingfield has been placed on the injured list with a sprained thumb, the Portland Trail Blazers said.

Wingfield, who has averaged 4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13 games, was hurt in the fourth quarter of Portland’s 99-78 victory over Vancouver on Thursday.