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Pacers spoil James' 19th birthday

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James had the wrong guys show up for his party.

Jermaine O'Neal scored 21 points and Ron Artest hit a crucial 3- pointer in the final minute as the Indiana Pacers wrecked James' 19th birthday Tuesday night with a 92-89 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Artest scored 18 points, none bigger than his 3 with 54.6 seconds left, as the Pacers improved to 23-10 -- the best record in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

James finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes but the Cavaliers' rookie guard couldn't shake free and take over in the closing minutes with Artest playing belly-to-belly defense on him.

James, who came in averaging 27.8 points in his last 10 games, finished 9-of-20 from the floor and missed all four of his 3- pointers.

The Cavaliers hurt themselves with 18 turnovers and 10 missed free throws -- six in the fourth quarter.

Al Harrington added 17 points for the Pacers, who have beaten the Cavaliers 11 straight times at Gund Arena, eight in a row overall and in all three matchups this season.

Harrington's jumper with 2:52 left was Indiana's first field goal in 4:39 and gave the Pacers an 85-80 lead. Zydrunas Ilgauskas' two free throws got Cleveland within three, and after the Pacers misfired, the Cavs had the ball with a chance to tie it.

However, during a scramble for a loose ball, Artest wrestled the ball from Eric Williams and passed it to Jamaal Tinsley, who fed Harrington for a dunk with 1:47 left that made it 87-82.

Kevin Ollie's layup made it a three-point game again, but Artest hit his 3 from the left wing to give Indiana a 90-84 lead.

Ollie's jumper got the Cavs back within four, but after an Indiana miss, James clanged a 3-pointer and O'Neal's two free throws with 2.5 seconds left iced it.

Artest was back in the starting lineup after being benched at the start of Monday's game by coach Rick Carlisle for oversleeping and missing a shootaround.

A well-rested Artest scored 11 points in the third period when Indiana's defense put the clamps down, triggering an 18-3 burst that put the Pacers up 76-65 entering the fourth.

Artest hit a pair of layups, two free throws, dunked, and drilled a 3-pointer in the spurt.

James, whose 12 points in the fourth quarter put Portland away on Sunday, got the crowd in a partying mood right away. He scored 13 points in the first -- eight with Artest guarding him -- on a variety of drives and fadeaway jumpers.

On one early trip to the basket, he used his left hand to loft a layup high off the glass and over O'Neal.

After playing 12 minutes in the first, James sat until the final 3:24 of the second, scoring his only basket of the period on a floater in the lane with a second left to give Cleveland a 47-43 halftime lead.

Before the game, Cavs coach Paul Silas laughed when he was asked if he brought James a gift.

"That sucker has had enough done for him," Silas said of his star player and pupil. "He should bring me a win."

HAWKS 83, WIZARDS 73: At Washington, Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Hawks end a nine-game road losing streak. Stephen Jackson scored 16 points, Jason Terry added 13 and Dion Glover 10 for the Hawks, who hadn't won on the road since beating Milwaukee 101-93 on Nov. 18. Larry Hughes had 24 points for the Wizards, who have lost five in a row. The Wizards, who tied a franchise record for fewest wins in December with two, managed only two field goals and a goaltending bucket from the field in the final quarter, in which they shot 3-for-17.

KNICKS 102, HEAT 73: At New York, former Ute Keith Van Horn had a steal and buzzer-beating dunk to cap a dominant first quarter, and New York cruised past Miami. The Knicks won their fourth in a row, with all the victories coming in convincing fashion, for their first four-game winning streak in 23 months. The last three victories have all been by at least 20 points, the first time New York has done that since November, 1997. Van Horn scored 22 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field in breaking 20 for the fifth time in six games. Shandon Anderson came off the bench to add 21, and Kurt Thomas had 14. For the second straight night, the victory margin was New York's largest of the season.

TIMBERWOLVES 98, BULLS 93: At Minneapolis, Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead Minnesota to its eighth victory in nine games. Latrell Sprewell had 27 points -- 20 in the first half -- and Sam Cassell had 21 points and nine assists for Minnesota, which beat the Bulls for the 10th straight time.

The Timberwolves held on despite blowing a 20-point first-half lead and missing nine free throws in the fourth quarter, including four straight by Garnett in the final two minutes.

The Bulls stayed in it thanks to their reserves, who outscored Minnesota's 29-10. Eddy Curry, playing in just his second game since returning from a bone bruise to his knee, had 16 points before fouling out after 24 minutes. Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 17 points.

SUPERSONICS 105, GRIZZLIES 99: At Memphis, Tenn., Rashard Lewis scored 33 points and Ray Allen had nine in the final three minutes to lead Seattle SuperSonics. Lewis and Allen scored Seattle's final 15 points as the SuperSonics pulled away late. The Grizzlies have lost seven straight, matching their longest losing streak under second- year coach Hubie Brown. Lewis and Allen hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Seattle an 84-81 lead with 7:50 left in the fourth. Allen finished with 22 points, playing in his fourth game of the season after right ankle surgery.

MAVERICKS 101, BUCKS 92: At Dallas, Antoine Walker had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Dirk Nowitzki made two key fourth-quarter 3- pointers to help Dallas withstand a late rally by Milwaukee. Steve Nash added 14 points and 12 assists, Antawn Jamison came off the bench to score 17, and Nowitzki had 20 points and 11 rebounds to help Dallas to its third straight win. The Mavericks improved to 14-2 at home.

RAPTORS 81, NUGGETS 74: At Denver, Alvin Williams and Jalen Rose each had 17 points, and Williams hit four free throws in the last two minutes as Toronto snapped Denver's three-game winning streak. Vince Carter added 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Toronto has now won two of its last 20 road games against Western Conference opponents. Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Voshon Lenard added 17 points for the Nuggets, who lost for only the fourth time at home.