By Johnnie Clay - Pacers Insider.
December 15, 2003 - 10:30 p.m.

After an embarassing 86-75 loss to the Chicago Bulls Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers returned to form that put them at the top of the Eastern Conference, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-85 at Conseco Fieldhouse tonight.

Jermaine O'Neal led the Pacers with 24 points, and 10 rebounds while Ron Artest scored 16 points and dished out 7 assists.

The Pacers defense forced the Cavaliers into 20 turnovers and shut them out from the three-point area, going 0-8...something the Pacers remember know all too well about, going 0-11 in their loss to the Bulls this weekend.

It appeared early on that defense wouldn't be factor, with both teams combining for 59 points. The second quarter slowed down considerably as only 34 points total were scored, but it was the Pacers who went into halftime with the 49-44 lead.

"This game was very similar to Chicago." Coach Rick Carlisle said. "This was a team that’s better than its record. We were up five at halftime and I felt a sense of déjà vu. I thought our intensity, for the most part, was pretty good."

Carlisle had every right to be concerned, the third and fourth quarters were tightly contested. The Cavaliers, led by rookie sensation LeBron James (who led all scorers with 27 points) clawed back into the game, which went back and forth until the final few minutes, when Ron Artest stopped the young phenom to help preserve a Pacers victory.

"Ron Artest was able to get some key stops on LeBron and that gave us some breathing room to get the win." Coach Carlisle said. "Ron Artest had a huge impact on the game defensively in the fourth quarter."

Artest knows that James is going to be a force to be reckon with in the years to come. "I played him the same way as I always do. He did get loose on some screens and he’s going to." Artest said about him. "He has good size, strength and speed. He’s going to be a great one. I think team defense was a key to this victory."

The Pacers made the stops when they had to late in the game. Even though they were out shot 46% to 51%, the Pacers made up the difference in FT shooting and in three-point shots.

As usual, the Pacers were led off the bench by Al Harrington, who scored 12 points and 11 rebounds. His teammate Anthony Johnson scored 13 points and 6 assists.
Johnson, is enjoying his new role with the Pacers as a point guard.

"The coaches came to me and asked me about doing this, I thought that showed a lot of confidence they had in me." Johnson said. "I am still learning and will continue to work hard and improve this team.”

The Pacers have tomorrow off before returning back to the court on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic, a team who is now on a roll after dropping 18 in a row. Coach Carlisle knows the importance of winning games, especially home ones.

"If you’re going to be a team that wins in the playoffs, you have to establish yourself at home and win on your home court." Carlisle said.

Gametime Wednesday is at 7pm (EST)