CLEVELAND - Ron Artest got in LeBron James' face and inside his jersey.
Happy birthday, rookie.
Artest pushed around the Cavs' star guard in the second half, and Jermaine O'Neal scored 21 as the Pacers wrecked James' 19th birthday Tuesday night, defeating the Cavaliers 92-89.
Artest scored 18 points, none bigger than his 3 with 54.6 seconds left, and held James in check late.
James finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes, but he couldn't shake free in the fourth quarter from Artest, who was draped all over him.
Cavs coach Paul Silas felt his talented rookie James was intimidated by Artest.
"Artest is going to test anyone. He's grabbing and holding, and they're letting him get away with it," Silas said. "But LeBron has got to push him off, stand up to him and get in his face, and say, "If you do it again, we're going to war.' LeBron is not there yet."
James didn't complain about Artest bullying him around.
"I love playing the Pacers," he said. "I love playing physical. But this is one team we can't get over the hump on."
The Pacers have beaten the Cavaliers 11 consecutive times at Gund Arena.
Before the game, 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."
KNICKS 102, HEAT 73: Keith Van Horn had a steal and buzzer-beating dunk to cap a dominant first quarter, and the hosts - after making a trade - cruised to their fourth victory in a row. Van Horn scored 22 points, shooting 10-for-16 from the field in breaking 20 for the fifth time in six games. Lamar Odom led Miami with 19 points. The Knicks acquired point guard Moochie Norris and center John Amaechi from Houston for Clarence Weatherspoon. Amaechi will be waived, Knicks president Isiah Thomas said after pulling off his first deal just eight days after he replaced the fired Scott Layden.
TIMBERWOLVES 98, BULLS 93: Kevin Garnett had 28 points and 15 rebounds to lead the hosts to their 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 Chicago for the 10th time in a row. The Timberwolves, who will be without guard Troy Hudson for at least two more weeks with a sprained ankle, held on despite blowing a 20-point first-half lead and missing nine free throws in the fourth quarter, including four in a row by Garnett in the final two minutes. Kirk Hinrich led the Bulls with 17 points.
RAPTORS 81, NUGGETS 74: Alvin Williams and Jalen Rose each had 17 points, and Williams hit four free throws in the last two minutes for the visitors. Carmelo Anthony had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Denver. Toronto placed forward Lamond Murray (sore lower back) on the injured list and activated center Mengke Bateer.
SONICS 105, GRIZZLIES 99: Rashard Lewis scored 33 points, and Ray Allen had nine of his 22 in the final three minutes for the visitors. Pau Gasol had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead Memphis, which played without Bonzi Wells (concussion). Memphis activated forward Dahntay Jones and put guard Troy Bell on the injured list.
HAWKS 83, WIZARDS 73: Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help end a nine-game road losing streak. Larry Hughes had 24 points for the Wizards, who managed only two field goals and a goaltending bucket from the field in the fourth quarter, in which they shot 3-for-17. Wizard Gilbert Arenas (abdominal injury) was activated and had 14 points.
MAVERICKS 101, BUCKS 92: Antoine Walker had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the hosts. Michael Redd led Milwaukee with 25 points.
TV: The league is withholding compelling matchups which include teams such as the Lakers and Cavs for its own channel, forcing fans who already paid for cable's "League Pass" package to spend even more to see the top games on NBA TV.
