ATLANTA (Ticker) -- After making a big shot, Anthony Johnson took one.
Johnson snapped a tie with a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in overtime, then took an intentional blow to the head after a clutch steal as he lifted the Indiana Pacers to a 103-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Johnson scored seven of his 15 points in overtime as he victimized one of his many former teams in its home opener. On a roster with Kenny Anderson and Jamaal Tinsley, Johnson is emerging as Pacers coach Rick Carlisle's most trusted point guard.
"It's just a matter of your team trusting each other," Johnson said. "Good teams trust in each other to get it done."
In a wild game, the Pacers erased an 18-point first-half deficit, blew a seven-point lead in the final 93 seconds of regulation and squandered a five-point advantage in overtime as a basket and 3-pointer by Shareef Abdur-Rahim pulled the Hawks into a 97-97 tie with 1:30 to go.
The teams traded empty possessions before Johnson took a pass from Ron Artest and buried a 3-pointer from the left side.
After a timeout, the Hawks tried a crosscourt lob pass to Jason Terry, who scored 29 points. But Johnson tied him up for a jump ball, and Terry swung his left arm hard into Johnson's head.
"The ref called a call," Terry said. "You want to get yourself free. It's not wrestling. You don't hug a guy and hold him down. You let the ball go, let's go, jump ball. He refused to do that. He wanted to hold me, so I had to free myself.
"They had him off of three screens," Johnson said. "I knew the ball was coming to him. I was able to get both hands on the ball. They called it a jump ball. That's what a punk would do."
Terry was called for a foul and was ejected. Johnson made both free throws for a 102-97 lead.
Johnson made 5-of-9 shots, 4-of-5 free throws and added six assists and two steals. He signed with the Pacers as a free agent after backing up Jason Kidd with the Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Nets each of the last two seasons.
"I really wish I had the preseason to get a feel of what to expect," Johnson said. "I just have to learn on the go. It's a matter of being a leader out there."
Artest scored 22 points and Al Harrington and a foul-plagued Jermaine O'Neal added 20 apiece for the Pacers, who bounced back from Friday's surprising home loss to Milwaukee. Harrington had 13 rebounds and Artest added 12, helping Indiana to a 52-36 advantage on the boards.
"It was simple," Harrington said. "Are we going to play like men, or not?"
Abdur-Rahim scored 26 points and Stephen Jackson added 16 for the Hawks (0-3), who lost their season opener in overtime at New Orleans. Their three losses have come by a combined 15 points.
"It's a tough loss," Hawks coach Terry Stotts said. "We've had three games in a row where we've played hard. We found a way to put it in overtime. It's disappointing not to come away with a win. We got to learn from it."
"We could easily be 3-0," Terry said. "We've played hard, we've been in games. I think losing some of these close ones will teach us how to win them in the near future."
After struggling in the first half and sitting most of the third quarter, O'Neal returned in the fourth period. His jumper made it 90-83 with 1:33 left, but Indiana did not score again in regulation.
Abdur-Rahim made a basket and Dion Glover hit a 3-pointer and corner jumper around two missed free throws by Harrington, forcing overtime. Glover's tying shot came with 3.6 seconds to play.
Jumpers by Johnson and Fred Jones - who started for the injured Reggie Miller - gave the Pacers a 97-92 lead before Abdur-Rahim tied it, setting the stage for Johnson's heroics.
With Miller out with a sore lower back, the Hawks scored the first 14 points and eventually opened a 46-28 lead before settling for a 49-35 halftime advantage. But when O'Neal drew his fourth foul early in the third quarter, Atlanta relaxed and Indiana rallied behind Harrington, who scored eight points in the period to help forge a 67-67 tie.
"Obviously, with Jermaine going out, I knew I was going to pick up the burden," Harrington said. "I just tried to concentrate and be energetic. I knew we needed to get out on the glass."
Jones scored 15 points for the Pacers, who shot 45 percent (39-of-87) and survived 16 missed free throws (21-of-37). Glover scored 14 points for the Hawks, who shot 47 percent (36-of-77).
"I was born to play basketball," said Jones, who scored 23 points in his entire rookie season. "I was always told to be ready in any situation. It was real unfortunate that Reg wasn't able to go tonight. With me being in the lineup, I wanted to make it seem like he was there so much. I tried to step up my game any way possible to get my teammates' confidence in me."
