LOS ANGELES – Ron Artest scored 22 points, Jermaine O’Neal had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 97-92 on Sunday.
Elton Brand had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time this season after a franchise-best 9-2 start and were beaten at home for the first time.
Chris Kaman finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles.
Artest, who missed Friday’s 87-85 loss to Atlanta because of a bruised right wrist he injured on a hard foul by Cleveland’s LeBron James on Thursday, shot 8-for-19 from the field. Stephen Jackson scored 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting after going 4-for-15 against the Hawks.
Austin Croshere and Artest hit 3-pointers 34 seconds apart in the fourth quarter and Croshere added another 3 with 7:07 left to extend Indiana’s lead to 88-78, the first double-digit margin for either team. Croshere finished with seven points.
The Clippers went on a 10-2 run capped by Cuttino Mobley’s 11-foot jumper and narrowed the gap to 92-90 with 1:07 to play. But Jamaal Tinsley hit two free throws at the other end, and Croshere grabbed an offensive rebound of Tinsley’s missed jumper on the Pacers’ next possession. He was fouled and converted both free throws for a 96-92 lead with 4.2 seconds to go.
Brand, Kaman, Corey Maggette and Sam Cassell all scored in double figures during the first half, combining for 44 points to help the Clippers take a 54-47 lead at intermission.
Indiana rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius triggered an 11-3 run at the end of the first quarter with a 3-pointer and capped it with a pair of free throws, as the Pacers sliced a nine-point deficit to 32-31.
Blazers 77, Hawks 75
ATLANTA – Darius Miles scored on a bank shot with 1.3 seconds left, giving Portland a 77-75 victory Sunday over Atlanta and ending the Hawks’ two-game winning streak.
Hawks’ rookie Salim Stoudamire missed a last-second jumper following Miles’ go-ahead basket over Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia.
Zach Randolph led Portland with 24 points, making 12-of-15 shots from the field. Randolph missed two free throws with 1:06 left and the Blazers leading by two, giving the Hawks an opening. Joe Johnson’s spinning drive tied the game at 75-75 with 49 seconds left.
Following a miss by Miles, Johnson missed a baseline jumper. Josh Smith soared above the rim to grab the rebound, but official Phil Robinson ruled Smith grabbed the rim. TV replays indicated Smith did not touch the rim.
The ruling gave Portland possession with 7.2 seconds left, setting up Miles’ game-winning basket.
Al Harrington led Atlanta with 16 points and Pachulia had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson also had 15 points and Smith added 14.
Miles had 12 points for Portland. Martell Webster was the Blazers’ only other scorer in double figures, with 10 points.
Randolph scored 14 points in the opening period as the Blazers took a lead of nine points. The Blazers led 25-18 at the end of the period.
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