Indiana Pacers Team Report - March 25

(Basketball News) - Ron Artest had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 103-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Al Harrington scored 17 points and grabbed eight boards for the Pacers, who have won two straight games. Indiana, which is the top seed in the Eastern Conference, played without All-Star forward Jermaine O’Neal, who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Austin Croshere and Reggie Miller each chipped in 16 points and Jeff Foster added 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Croshere netted 13 points in the final quarter.

The Pacers were 35-of-84 from the field (42 percent) and 24-of-33 from the free throw line (73 percent). Indiana swept the season series and has won three of the last four meetings.

Indiana is off until Friday when it visits the Orlando Magic. It will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two teams. The Pacers are 2-1 against the Magic.

O’Neal is expected to miss Friday’s game against Orlando.

Artest has scored in double digits in seven straight games. He has averaged 19 points and 5.4 rebounds in that span.