Artest, O'Neal lead Indiana as Pacers clip Los Angeles, 97-92

LOS ANGELES -- Ron Artest scored 22 points, Jermaine O'Neal had 16 points and 13 rebounds and the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 97-92 on Sunday.\nElton Brand had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time this season after a franchise-best 9-2 start and were beaten at home for the first time.\nChris Kaman finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles.\nArtest, who missed Friday's 87-85 loss to Atlanta because of a bruised right wrist he injured on a hard foul by Cleveland's LeBron James on Thursday, shot 8-for-19 from the field. Stephen Jackson scored 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting after going 4-for-15 against the Hawks.\nAustin Croshere and Artest hit 3-pointers 34 seconds apart in the fourth quarter and Croshere added another 3 with 7:07 left to extend Indiana's lead to 88-78, the first double-digit margin for either team. Croshere finished with seven points.\nThe Clippers went on a 10-2 run capped by Cuttino Mobley's 11-foot jumper and narrowed the gap to 92-90 with 1:07 to play. But Jamaal Tinsley hit two free throws at the other end, and Croshere grabbed an offensive rebound of Tinsley's missed jumper on the Pacers' next possession. He was fouled and converted both free throws for a 96-92 lead with 4.2 seconds to go.\nBrand, Kaman, Corey Maggette and Sam Cassell all scored in double figures during the first half, combining for 44 points to help the Clippers take a 54-47 lead at intermission.\nIndiana rookie Sarunas Jasikevicius triggered an 11-3 run at the end of the first quarter with a three-pointer and capped it with a pair of free throws, as the Pacers sliced a nine-point deficit to 32-31.\nThe Clippers won both games against the Pacers last season after losing 19 of the previous 21 meetings, but both wins last season should have asterisks attached.\nIn Game 1, the Clippers recorded the most one-sided road win in franchise history and handed the Pacers their most lopsided home loss ever, 102-68, while Artest completed a two-game benching from coach Rick Carlisle for requesting time off because of a busy schedule that included promoting a soon-to-be released rap album.\nIn Game 2, the Pacers were only able to dress eight players because of suspensions handed out to Artest, O'Neal and Jackson for their participation in the Nov. 19 brawl with Detroit Pistons fans. Pollard, Croshere, Reggie Miller and Tinsley also missed that game because of injuries.