Knicks 94 Indiana 107

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Ron Artest disrupted two early New York possessions with steals, then finished off the Knicks with his long-range shooting.

Artest scored 27 points, and Jamaal Tinsley had 14 points and 12 rebounds in Indiana's 107-94 victory Friday night

Artest, usually assigned to guard the other team's best offensive player, held Allan Houston -- who was averaging 28.4 points -- to 14 points on 3-for-16 shooting.

``He's such a tough person and tough competitor, when you play against someone like that, he's unlike anyone I've ever seen in basketball,'' Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said. ``He's unique. I don't know if he gets in the other guys' heads or not, I just know at the end of the game, very rarely do they have a good night.''

Artest entered with a 13.5 scoring average and said it could be higher if he didn't focus so much on being a defensive stopper. While defense is his strength, he can help the Pacers from the field as proven by his eight-point fourth quarter and 8-for-12 shooting overall from the field.

``I've got to get to the point where if I'm not playing a good defensive game I can still play good offense,'' Artest said. ``Defense sets the tone for me. I've got to not be totally dependent on defense.''

Knicks coach Don Chaney said Indiana's coaches likely drilled the message of stopping Houston into Artest's head.

``They got into him, deny (Houston) and don't let him make a play,'' Chaney said.

Artest had two nifty steals in the first half to set the defensive tone. He ended the quarter with a breakaway dunk after intercepting a pass by Howard Eisley for a 38-25 lead. Then he had another steal late in the second, this time off Charlie Ward.

Artest tiptoed down the sideline in front of the Knicks' bench before regaining his footing and finished off the turnover with another basket.

``I just try to deny, deny, deny and not let them get the ball,'' Artest said. ``I'm not sure if they're thinking about me, but I'm thinking about them.''

The Pacers led by in the third, but the Knicks ended the quarter on a 17-6 run. The Knicks closed to 82-79 in the fourth behind Kurt Thomas, who matched his career high with 33 points.

Indiana though used a 23-7 run late in the fourth and held Thomas to only one field goal in the final 8 minutes to improve to 3-0 at home. Tinsley hit two crucial mid-range jumpers and a 3-pointer in the closing minutes.

He was only shooting 18 percent from the field this season, but thumped his chest with his right fist after hitting a 22-footer that pushed the lead back to nine.

``I was just so happy about hitting a big-time shot like that,'' said Tinsley, who missed shootaround with an upper respiratory infection. ``It wasn't anything against the Knicks.''

Tinsley banked in a leaning jumper as the Pacers regained a double-digit lead, then hit his first 3 of the season for a 102-86 lead as they cruised the rest of the game.

The Pacers shot 64 percent in the fourth and led by as many as 19 points after a 3-pointer by Artest. They made 10 of 13 free throws in the fourth and went 30-for-35 overall. New York was 13-for-14.

Brad Miller scored 19 points, Jermaine O'Neal scored 18 points, and Al Harrington added 14 for the Pacers.

Charlie Ward and Lee Nailon also scored 14 for the Knicks.

Notes

The Pacers' 4-1 start is their best after five games since 1989-90. ... The Pacers outrebounded Indiana 40-28. Only four were offensive. ... Ward limped off the court and needed ice on his right ankle after a collision with Artest. ... Thomas also scored 33 last March at Cleveland. ... Artest's 27 points are his most with the Pacers and two shy of a career high. ...Harrington scored in double figures for the first time this season.

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