ORLANDO, Fla. – Jermaine O’Neal had 22 points and 19 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers handed the Orlando Magic their 13th straight loss, winning 89-78.

Ron Artest added 17 points and Austin Croshere scored 13 of his season-high 15 in the second quarter to help Indiana extend its winning streak to five games.

Orlando is four losses short of tying its franchise-worst losing skid. That stretch was set in 1991-92, the season before the Magic drafted Shaquille O’Neal.

The Magic played without Tracy McGrady, who missed the game because of a 103-degree fever.

Juwan Howard, returning to a starting role, scored 17 points to lead four Orlando players in double figures. Pistons 94, Hawks 89

ATLANTA – Chauncey Billups redeemed himself at the free-throw line by hitting four straight shots in the final 18.3 seconds to help the Detroit Pistons beat Atlanta 94-89.

Billups missed two foul shots with seven seconds remaining Sunday in Detroit’s 81-80 loss to New Orleans. He finished with a team-high 24 points despite shooting only 7-for-23 from the floor.

The Pistons, winning for the fifth time in six games, trailed Atlanta by 16 points following Shareef Abdur-Rahim’s 12-footer with 5:46 left in the third quarter.

Detroit answered with a 24-4 run.

, capped by Billups’ 14-footer from the right wing with 7:14 remaining.

Of the 23 points Atlanta allowed off 21 turnovers, 15 came in the second half, the worst mistake coming on Stephen Jackson’s inbound lob pass that went out of bounds.

Abdur-Rahim led the Hawks, who have lost four of six, with 26 points and 14 rebounds.

The Pacers struggled early against the Magic in new head coach Johnny Davis’ home debut. Davis replaced Doc Rivers, who was fired a week ago in the middle of an 0-5 road trip.

But with 6:45 left to play, a three-point play by O’Neal put the Pacers up 77-63. From there, Orlando never drew closer than eight points.

O’Neal, relying almost exclusively on jump hooks, shot 9-for-21. He fell two rebounds short of his career high.

Early on, the Magic looked nothing like the worst team in the NBA. Everything the team lacked during Rivers’ final days – interior defense, aggressive rebounding, patience in halfcourt sets – were displayed in a half that drew no less than four standing ovations from the crowd of 13,527.

Harvey earned most of the applause, with seven points and five rebounds in the first half. His dunk early in the second quarter capped off a 10-2 run for a six-point lead, Orlando’s largest of the game.

But the Magic soon proved their losing streak was no fluke, repeatedly losing Croshere inside and out. His 3-pointer and unmolested driving dunk kicked off a 12-4 run late in the second quarter, and the Pacers led 48-43 at the break.

Croshere was 6-for-9, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers.

The fans’ reaction to Rivers’ firing was mixed. Davis received only a lukewarm ovation during introductions, and the boosters’ signs showed a confusion over whom to blame for the team’s troubles. One sign thanked Magic general manager John Gabriel for axing the embattled coach, but others supported Rivers while calling for the removal of Gabriel and team chief operating officer John Weisbrod.

Notes: Indiana matched its franchise best with its seventh straight road win, dating to last season. … Including the preseason and last season’s playoffs, Orlando has lost 23 of 25 games – including 12 straight at home. … Indiana has won six of its last eight games against Orlando. … Orlando’s opponents entered the game shooting a league-best 79.5 percent from the foul line. Indiana shot 66.7 percent (16-of-24). … The Magic had played eight straight games against Western Conference opponents before facing the Pacers. … New Orleans guard Darrell Armstrong was in attendance. Armstrong played nine seasons with the Magic before leaving as a free agent last offseason.

AP-ES-11-24-03 2144EST