Ron Artest scores 18 points after an early flagrant foul call as Indiana cruises to win.
By The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS – It took only five seconds for Ron Artest to get himself in trouble again.

Artest committed his eighth flagrant foul of the season just seconds after tipoff, then scored 18 points as the Indiana Pacers cruised to a 102-72 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Artest now faces a likely two-game suspension.

The Pacers desperately needed the win, only their third in the last 16 games. They finished the season series against Boston tied 2-2 and remained in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana though, will likely play its next two games its volatile forward. Boston’s Paul Pierce went up for a layup after the opening tip and was slapped hard on the head from behind by Artest.

Artest has been suspended twice already for exceeding the maximum number of flagrant foul points. If the league doesn’t rescind the foul, he will miss Friday’s game against Memphis and Saturday’s against Atlanta.

Artest stayed in the game and helped the Pacers roll to their second blowout win in a week. Reggie Miller scored 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter and Artest added seven as the Pacers opened a 16-point edge.

Artest continued to show why he’s so valuable to the Pacers. He deflected passes, came up with a couple of steals and held Pierce to 4-for-14 shooting.

Late in the fourth, Artest picked up a loose ball and drove toward the basket when he was grabbed around the waist by Bimbo Coles. Coles was whistled for a clear-path foul as the crowd howled for a flagrant.

Artest just smiled and shook his head as he sank his free throws.

By then, the game was well in hand.

Jermaine O’Neal had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers.

Antoine Walker led Boston with 18 points and Pierce, who sprained his left ankle in Tuesday’s loss at New Jersey, added 14. The Celtics shot 28 percent in the first half and missed 15 of 20 shots in the second quarter.

The Pacers broke the game open in the second. Coach Isiah Thomas, as he did in Indiana’s blowout win last week against Utah, turned to the second unit and they delivered.

The Pacers went on a 12-0 run midway through the second, keyed by consecutive 3-pointers by Austin Croshere and Jonathan Bender. The second team scored 16 of the Pacers’ 24 points in the quarter and they led 53-27 at the half.

The starting five returned in the third. They each played 12 minutes and pushed the lead to 30.

Notes: Pierce said before the game the ankle wasn’t an issue. “I’m fine. I’m playing.” Pierce, a Kansas alum, also complained about the Jayhawks being placed in the West Regional with Arizona, Illinois and Duke. “They’re killing us. That’s rough.” … Thomas said his team shouldn’t lose perspective on their accomplishments this season, noting Indiana has improved more than the Celtics. The Pacers were an eighth seed last year. “I wish people would give us a pass like they give them. They were in the Eastern Conference finals last year.” … The Pacers largest margin of victory was 36 against Orlando.

AP-ES-03-19-03 2156EST