O'Neal guides Pacers past Hawks

ATLANTA - Jermaine O'Neal scored 38 points to help Indiana beat Atlanta 84-79 on Saturday night, the Pacers' second straight victory after a six-game losing streak.

O'Neal capped his night with two clinching free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining.

Anthony Johnson's putback with 5:19 remaining capped a 24-9 run for Indiana, which won its seventh straight against the Hawks and fourth straight in Atlanta.

On Friday night in Indianapolis, the Pacers beat Dallas 95-94 to end their longest losing streak in two years.

Antoine Walker and Al Harrington each scored 26 points for the Hawks, who have lost three straight and 10 of 12. Walker's 3-pointer gave Atlanta its biggest lead at 59-51 with 3:04 left in the third quarter.

Harrington missed a pair of free throws with 34.9 seconds remaining that could've cut the lead to 82-81. The 6-foot-9 power forward also was beaten on a jump ball by Johnson, a 6-3 guard, that allowed O'Neal to hit a 15-footer from the right side that gave Indiana an 80-76 lead with 2:24 remaining.

O'Neal was 7-for-9 in the second half.

After Eddie Gill hit two free throws to bring the Pacers within six at the 1:46 mark of the third quarter, Indiana regained momentum with a five-point possession. Gill's 3-pointer from the left side cut it to 56-53 before Kevin Willis was called for holding and an ensuing technical foul that allowed Austin Croshere and Scot Pollard to each hit one free throw to make it 59-58.

Indiana's Reggie Miller was 0-for-2 from the floor and finished with two points on a pair of free throws. Of Miller's 21 minutes, only six were in the second half, none in the fourth quarter. He played the final 4.5 seconds.

Notes: Indiana is 8-5 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.... Johnson started his third straight game at point guard in place of Jamaal Tinsley, who has a bruised left foot.... Hawks coach Mike Woodson expects starting point guard Tyronn Lue, out with a strained left Achilles' tendon, to miss three or four more games.