Indianapolis, IN (My Sportsbook) - Jermaine O'Neal scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Phoenix Suns, 92-81, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Ron Artest chipped in 20 points, six boards, six assists and five steals for Indiana, which secured its 13th playoff berth in the last 14 seasons.

Erick Strickland collected 16 points and seven assists and Brad Miller contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who notched their second straight win and moved within one-half game of idle Philadelphia for the third spot in the Eastern Conference.

Shawn Marion paced Phoenix with 22 points and 15 boards. Joe Johnson netted 19 points and Amare Stoudemire had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, who had a two-game winning streak halted.

Phoenix fell into a tie with idle Houston for the eighth and final playoff position in the Western Conference.

Indiana stretched a six-point halftime lead to 17 twice in the third quarter, the last time at 69-52 on two free throws by Miller with 4:05 left.

The Suns then countered with an 11-3 spurt to close within 72-63 with 1:37 Suns then countered with an 11-3 spurt to close within 72-63 with 1:37 remaining in the period. Johnson hit a pair of three-pointers and Marion added another shot from beyond the arc during the run.

Reggie Miller hit a jumper in the closing seconds of the stanza to give the Pacers a 74-63 advantage after 36 minutes.

O'Neal's short jumper with 4:16 remaining in the fourth quarter put Indiana in front 88-74. Phoenix then went on a 7-0 run to close within seven with 1:21 left. The Suns then forced a turnover, but Johnson missed a tough layup attempt.

Artest then sealed the contest with four foul shots in the final minute.

The Pacers built an 11-point lead in the first quarter. O'Neal's tip-in with 3:25 left in the period capped an 8-2 run and staked Indiana to a 27-16 advantage.

Phoenix then scored 10 of the final 12 points of the stanza to pull within 29-26 after 12 minutes. O'Neal had 13 points in the opening quarter.

The Suns continued to rally and took a 34-33 lead on Marion's layup with 8:07 remaining in the second quarter. Phoenix extended its lead to 40-38, but the Pacers closed the first half with a 12-4 spurt to grab a 50-44 advantage at the intermission.

O'Neal ended the first half with 18 points, while Marion and Stoudemire paced Phoenix in the opening 24 minutes with 13 apiece.