Pacers Even Series With Celtics

Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers climbed out of another hole, just as they've done all season.

Now they have home-court advantage in their playoff series with the Boston Celtics.

Miller scored 28 points and the Pacers beat the Celtics 82-79 Monday night two days after he had just seven points in a 102-82 loss in the opener of their playoff series.

``After what happened in Game 1, we all knew he would come back in a big way,'' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after they tied the series 1-1. ``He is the guy you want on your team this time of year. We'll keep riding him as long as we can.''

The best-of-seven series shifts to Indiana on Thursday night for Game 3.

Miller plans to retire after the season, but still had a big shot left in his 39-year-old body. He sank a running jump shot with 37 seconds to go from 17 feet for the game's final points after deciding to forgo a 3-point attempt when he saw Ricky Davis running at him.