AROUND THE NBA

The Indiana Pacers want their own fans sitting courtside tonight--and they’re willing to pay for it.

In an effort to prevent New York Knick fans from buying the choice tickets, the Pacers’ co-owners are dipping into their own pockets.

Melvin and Herb Simon said they will purchase any courtside tickets that season ticket-holders were planning to sell for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. And they will match the price offered by ticket brokers.

The seats that are repurchased by the Simons will be donated to local area youths who would otherwise not have a chance to sit courtside, the Pacers said.

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Pacer assistant Rick Carlisle was fined $10,000 by the NBA for deliberately tripping the Knicks’ Latrell Sprewell in Game 3. The incident occurred with 4:54 remaining in the third quarter.

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After finishing 25th in the NBA in average attendance last season, the Atlanta Hawks announced they were lowering ticket prices for more than 10% of the seats in Philips Arena.

The Hawks, who were 28-54, averaged 14,664 fans in 1999-00. Philips Arena holds 19,445.

The Chicago Bulls led the league by drawing an average of 22,124. Average attendance league-wide was 16,870.

Atlanta season ticket-holders will receive discounts ranging from 5% to 15% and prices for the affected seats will be reduced by $5 to $15.

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Paul Pressey, an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, left the team to become an assistant with the Orlando Magic.