INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Jeff Foster is getting acclimated to his starting role.
Foster scored a career-high 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as the Indiana Pacers rolled to a 101-78 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.
Foster began the season on the bench, backing up Scot Pollard at center and Jermaine O'Neal at forward. But he quickly was inserted in place of Pollard in the starting lineup and came in averaging 8.7 rebounds in his last six games.
The 6-11 Foster worked over the smaller SuperSonics, making 6-of-10 shots and 7-of-10 free throws as he surpassed his previous career high of 17 at Boston exactly two years ago.
"Since I am playing more and know that I am going to get time, I am taking it on myself to work harder, play harder and take my game to another level to make this team win," said Foster, who started 48 games two seasons ago. "I am working on my jump shot every day in practice, so I am hoping this will fall in place."
"He made our job easier and made it tough on them," O'Neal said. "He gives this kind of effort every night. It's just that sometimes, it doesn't show up in the boxscore." Foster also swept 10 offensive rebounds, leading a 52-37 beating on the boards.
"Jeff Foster had a real presence tonight, the whole time he was in there," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "I thought he played a great game."
O'Neal and Ron Artest scored 16 points each for the Pacers, who had six players in double figures as they won for the sixth time in seven games.
Seattle's Ron Murray scored 16 points but was held under 20 points for the first time this season. The SuperSonics fell to 2-1 on their four-game road trip.
"They did push us around and we ended up watching and really didn't challenge them back," said Sonics coach Nate McMillan, whose club shot just just 36.5 percent (27-of-74).
Seattle scored the opening basket, but Indiana never trailed again. The Pacers led, 51-42, at halftime and began the third quarter with a 9-0 run capped by Foster's driving dunk with 7:23 to go.
"With playing time comes confidence, and with my playing kind of spot roles, it's kind of hard to know what I should be doing or what to expect," Foster said. "Now I know what I'm out there to do and I just hope I can continue to build on it."
Al Harrington scored 13 points for the Pacers, who have won three in a row from the Sonics for the first time since entering the NBA in 1976.
