TORONTO, 27 February 2005 — Stephen Jackson scored 28 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to their season-high fifth straight victory, a 106-82 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Indianapolis on Friday.
Jermaine O’Neal had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Pacers while Jackson reeled off 11 successive points in the fourth quarter.
Indiana shot 52 percent to win for the eighth time in 10 games. The Pacers grabbed a 17-point lead at the half and never allowed the Cavs to get within 13 in the second.
Anthony Johnson and Austin Croshere each added 10 points for the Pacers.
LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 21 points while Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.
Cleveland has lost 10 of its last 11 meetings with the Pacers.
In East Rutherford, Vince Carter notched 28 points as the New Jersey Nets beat the Charlotte Bobcats 93-86.
Rookie Nenad Krstic had a career-high 25 points for New Jersey while Jason Kidd added 11 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.
Gerald Wallace had 23 points for the Bobcats.
In Memphis, Earl Boykins picked up 19 points to help the Denver Nuggets rally to defeat the Grizzlies 97-94 in overtime.
Marcus Camby added 17 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, who held the Grizzlies to three points in overtime.
Brian Cardinal registered 28 points for Memphis.
In Chicago, Kirk Hinrich contributed 26 points as the Bulls beat the Washington Wizards 97-90. Ben Gordon added 20 points for the Bulls, winners of five of their last six games.
Gilbert Areans amassed 36 points and Antawn Jamison had 19 points and 10 rebounds but the Wizards still lost their fifth straight road game.
In Milwaukee, Chris Bosh posted 27 points and eight rebounds to push the Toronto Raptors past the Bucks 106-102.
Jalen Rose added 16 points, including two free throws with 11 seconds left, as the Raptors won their second consecutive road game. Maurice Williams scored 21 points for the Bucks while Joe Smith had 20 points and 14 rebounds.
In Salt Lake City, Antoine Walker recorded 24 points and 10 rebounds on his return to his former team as the Boston Celtics edged the Utah Jazz 109-102. Ricky Davis scored 17 points and Delonte West 16 for the Celtics. Andrei Kirilenko led Utah with 29 points.
In Portland, Zach Randolph had 31 points and 12 rebounds to steer the Trail Blazers to a 102-101 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Al Harrington claimed 25 points for the Hawks, who lost on the road for the 18th straight game.
In Los Angeles, Tayshaun Prince grabbed 26 points to guide the Detroit Pistons to a 111-90 mauling of the Lakers. Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 20 points and 11 assists.
In Seattle, Ray Allen scored 32 points as the SuperSonics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-88. Kevin Garnett was Minnesota’s spearhead with 31 points and 14 rebounds.
