NBA Game Summary - Indiana at Boston

Boston, MA (Basketball News) - Jermaine O’Neal had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Stephen Jackson had 15 points to lead the Indiana Pacers over the Boston Celtics, 90-85, in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at the FleetCenter.

O’Neal rebounded from a poor performance in Game 4 when he scored only nine points in a 110-79 thumping at Conseco Fieldhouse, as the Pacers moved within one game of moving on to the semifinal round. The Pacers lead this best-of- seven set 3-2 and can close out Boston on Thursday in Indiana.

Dale Davis added 13 points and seven boards and Reggie Miller had 12 points for Indiana, which led for most of the game and held off the Celtics down the stretch.

Paul Pierce had 27 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which has dropped two of three games at home this postseason. Ricky Davis added 19 points and seven boards for the Celtics, who led for a total of only 42 seconds in the game.

In the fourth, every time the Celtics appeared to get close the Pacers always had an answer. After an Antoine Walker layup drew Boston within 77-75 with 5:07 left, Miller drained a three-pointer coming out of a time out 17 seconds later to increase the lead to five points.

Pierce answered with a trey of his own to again make it a two-point game with 4:28 on the clock, but nearly a minute later O’Neal hit a jumper to increase the Pacers’ edge to four points, 82-78.

Pierce hit another running jumper with 3:05 left to make it 82-80, but Jackson drained a three with 2:38 remaining and Boston never got within a possession the rest of the way.