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11-25-2005, 09:04 AM

Indiana 98, Cleveland 76
Preview - Box Score - Recap

By CLIFF BRUNT, Associated Press Writer
November 25, 2005

Indiana Pacers' Sarunas Jasikevicius of Lithuania (3) puts up a 3-point shot while Cleveland Cavaliers' Donyell Marshall, left, looks on during the fourth quarter Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005, in Indianapolis. Jasikevicius finished with 17 points as Indiana defeated Cleveland 98-76.
AP - Nov 24, 11:22 pm EST
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Ron Artest shut down LeBron James and the streaking Cavaliers.

The former defensive player of the year held James to 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting in Indiana's 98-76 victory over Cleveland on Thursday night.

"It's nothing personal, like a one-on-one matchup with him," Artest said. "It's a team thing. I am a hungry defender and want to win and will guard anybody if that will help us win."

The victory snapped Cleveland's eight-game winning streak.

The rest of the Pacers knew that Artest was clearly the key to frustrating James on offense.

"He made him work for everything," said Jermaine O'Neal, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. "We made it tough on him tonight."

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Artest also outplayed James on the offensive end, scoring 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The Pacers (7-3) won their third game in a row while the Cavaliers (9-3) missed the chance to become the first Eastern Conference team to win 10 games.

Cleveland averaged a league-best 105 points per game coming in, but was held to 38 percent shooting and tied its season low for points. James called it a combination of the Pacers' defense and poor execution by the Cavaliers.

"We shot terrible tonight," he said. "It's not like we didn't have good shots. We had great looks ... You have to give it to them. They made us look bad."

James never found his rhythm with Artest guarding him. He missed his first eight shots and didn't make a field goal until 1:57 left in the first half.

Indiana played its second consecutive top-notch defensive game. The Pacers held Houston to 74 points on Sunday.

"Defensively, we had one of our better efforts," said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. "This is a nightmare team to defend because of their ability to slash at the wing positions and their ability to shoot long range. Fortunately, they were missing some they might normally make."

Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest (15) puts back a rebound for a basket while being defended by Cleveland Cavliers' Eric Snow, right, during the third quarter Thursday, Nov. 24, 2005, in Indianapolis. Artest finished with 21 points as Indiana defeated Cleveland 98-76.
AP - Nov 24, 11:08 pm EST
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Drew Gooden scored 16 points and Larry Hughes added 13 for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown was Indiana's associate head coach the past two seasons, and the Pacers made his homecoming memorable for all the wrong reasons. Indiana held the Cavaliers to 9-of-36 shooting in the first half and took a 47-30 lead into the break. The Pacers led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter.

Sarunas Jasikevicius scored 17 points and made 5-of-6 3-pointers, and Stephen Jackson added 14 points.

The Pacers' winning streak follows an embarrassing 122-90 loss to Charlotte. O'Neal said the Pacers are finally starting to play well consistently on both ends of the floor.

"This was probably the most complete game we've played this season." he said. "They're ranked ahead of us in the east, and we beat them soundly.

Notes

Reggie Miller and Cheryl Miller both worked on TNT's television broadcast team, Reggie as a color commentator and Cheryl as a sideline reporter. It was the first time the brother-sister combination worked a game together. Reggie, a former Pacer, retired last year. The fans greeted him with a standing ovation during a break halfway through the first quarter.