NBA Game Summary - Toronto at Indiana

Indianapolis, IN (Basketball News) - Jamaal Tinsley scored five of his 12 points in overtime and dished out 11 assists to help the Central Division- leading Indiana Pacers to a 94-84 win over the Toronto Raptors at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Ron Artest posted 23 points and Jermaine O’Neal added 20 with a game-high 18 boards, as Indiana won its sixth straight game.

Vince Carter scored a game-high 28 points for Toronto, Chris Bosh contributed 19 with eight rebounds and Donyell Marshall had 13 points and 13 boards. The newly-acquired Rod Strickland added 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and a season-high 16 assists for the Raptors, who lost for the third time in four games.

Indiana got back into the game with an 11-0 run over a five minute span of the fourth quarter, turning a seven-point deficit into a 79-75 lead on an Artest finger roll with 3:23 to go in regulation.

Bosh made a pair of free throws and then a layup with 2:28 remaining in regulation to knot the game at 79 apiece, but Artest responded with a pair of free throws. Strickland then snuck into the lane for a layup, tying the contest at 81-81 with 1:54 to play.

But both teams went cold from there, and when Carter’s fadeaway 21-footer clanged off the rim with one second remaining, and Tinsley couldn’t connect with Jonathan Bender on an alley-oop at the other end, it sent the game into an extra session.

The Pacers scored the first eight points of overtime to put the game away. Tinsley hit a three, then O’Neal contributed a bank shot before Miller connected on a three-pointer with 2:47 left, just as the shot clock expired, to put the Pacers up 89-81.

Bosh replied with a basket at the other end, but Tinsley hit from 20-feet for Indiana to make it 91-83 with 1:22 remaining, removing all doubt in the outcome.

The Raptors used an 8-2 surge late in the first quarter to move ahead 24-21, and held a 26-25 edge after 12 minutes.

The second quarter was as tight as the first, featuring four tie scores and four lead changes over the first 10 minutes. But the Raptors wound up outscoring the Pacers 11-5 to close out the first half ahead 50-46.

Carter had a whopping 21 points at the break, while O’Neal and Artest each had 10 points to lead the Pacers.

Indiana got the lead back at 54-53 on an Artest layup 4:24 into the third quarter, and extended its advantage to six points at 61-55 on an Al Harrington layup with 2:45 remaining.

But Toronto outscored Indiana 8-3 over the rest of the third, trailing 64-63 heading into the final stanza.

A Toronto 10-2 burst to open the fourth staked the Raptors to a 73-66 lead, and they held a seven-point lead at 75-68 before Indiana’s 11-0 run.