Croshere, Pacers cut down Clippers

All five Indiana starters played significant roles for coach Rick Carlisle against the Los Angeles Clippers -- none bigger than Austin Croshere.

After being held to 5 points through the first three quarters, Croshere scored 12 in the fourth and grabbed a critical offensive rebound in the final seconds to help the Pacers hold off a late rally by the Clippers for a 97-92 victory yesterday in Los Angeles.

''We couldn't have won this game without the total team effort," teammate Jermaine O'Neal said. ''Austin was the catalyst, getting in there and hitting those big 3-point shots. There were multiple plays he made in the fourth quarter, and that's what makes us a talented team."

Ron Artest scored 22 points and O'Neal added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Pacers, who handed the Clippers their first home loss in six tries and prevented them from setting a franchise record for wins at home from the start of a season.

Elton Brand had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost consecutive games for the first time this season after a franchise-best 9-2 start.

Trail Blazers 77, Hawks 75 -- Darius Miles scored on a bank shot with 1.3 seconds left, giving Portland the victory at Atlanta.

Hawks rookie Salim Stoudamire missed a last-second jumper following Miles's go-ahead basket.

Zach Randolph led Portland with 24 points on 12-of-15 shooting.