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Rush goes on 3-point spree to lift Pacers over Warriors

Jan 17, 2008 - 5:43 AM INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Looking down and out, the Indiana Pacers turned to an unlikely source to make up a huge deficit.

Kareem Rush scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Pacers scratched out a 125-117 victory over the Golden State Warriors at Conseco Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

Danny Granger led the way with 29 points and Mike Dunleavy Jr. added 24 for Indiana, which was returning home after a five-game West Coast swing that saw them go just 1-4.

But the Pacers refused to let their poor showing out West affect their play at home, overcoming a 14-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter and tying it for the first time at 98-98 when Rush connected on his second 3-pointer of the period.

Rush hit four shots from the arc in the period and added a clutch offensive rebound and basket with 43.1 seconds remaining to stretch Indiana's lead to 117-114.

Making just his fourth start of the season, Rush finished 7-of-11 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

"We wanted this victory bad," Rush said. "We wanted to get that bad taste out of our mouth from losing to them last week. The fourth quarter, we came out hungry and played well.

"A lot of guys stepped up and played big tonight. I hit a couple of shots in the fourth, Danny hit some big free throws, and Mike played well. We're happy to be able to fight through the deficit and get the win."

Granger got the comeback started with five straight points to open the fourth. After Travis Diener nailed a 3-pointer to pull the Pacers to within 94-87 with 10 minutes left, Granger was fouled on a 3-point attempt and converted all three free throws.

Dunleavy and Rush went to work next, combining for 23 of Indiana's next 25 points to give it a 117-114 lead. From there it was all free throws, and the Pacers connected on 36-of-38 attempts from the stripe on the night.

"They made all of their shots and they had their way with us in the fourth quarter," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "I thought they were just sensational, and we just weren't good enough. We've been winning games like this and maybe we've been fooling people for a long time.

"You think it's going to happen that way all year, but of course you know it's not. You know you can't keep digging a hole for yourself and then climbing out of it."

Just one day short of a year from the trade that sent Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington to Golden State and Troy Murphy and Dunleavy to Indiana in an eight-player deal designed to re-tool both teams, the former Warriors outscored their former Pacer counterparts, 40-39.

"It's old news to me," Harrington said of the trade. "I don't think about it anymore. Sometimes, I even forget I was here last year. It's beyond me, for real."

"It's behind us. They know what they lost," Jackson said. "It's a business, and I respect everybody here. (General manager) Donnie Walsh is great, the team is great, and I still talk to some of the guys, but it's nothing special to come here. It's just a game we needed to win."

The Warriors raced out to a 13-2 lead with 8:22 left in the opening frame on the strength of seven points from Matt Barnes and cruised to a 29-18 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Barnes ended the period with 10 points and Baron Davis chipped in eight.

Indiana refused to fold, climbing back into the game with a 33-point effort in the second quarter to roll into halftime down, 55-51. Granger led the way with 11 points in the first 24 minutes and Murphy came off the bench to add 10.

Golden State pushed the lead back to 84-67 with 3:21 left in the third when Davis and Harrington connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, and entered the decisive fourth with a 93-79 cushion.

"We fell apart at the end of the game," Harrington said. "We were supposed to win this game but didn't play the full 48 minutes. We did a great job in the first three quarters of hitting shots and building a lead. But we just fell apart."

The Pacers were without starting point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who missed his seventh game of the season with a sore left knee. The Warriors exploited his absence, forcing Indiana guards into several early turnovers.

Davis had six of the Warriors' 12 first-quarter steals, finishing just two shy of Fat Lever's NBA record of eight in a quarter, set with the Denver Nuggets. Golden State had 18 steals in the game.