INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Back from a rough road trip, the Indiana Pacers rebounded by rebounding.
Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington and Jeff Foster each grabbed nine rebounds as the Pacers dominated the boards in a 93-79 victory over the Washington Wizards.
The Pacers, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference, went 2-3 on their exhaustive West Coast trip with a two-point overtime loss at Portland and a three-point loss at Sacramento.
"It was tough for us," said O'Neal, who scored 15 points. "We had a lot of guys tired from the West Coast trip ... and us getting in at 5:30 or 6 a.m. this morning kind of threw our 'rest cycle' off."
Returning to Conseco Fieldhouse, the Pacers outrebounded the Wizards, 45-31, including 13-3 on the offensive end. Ron Artest added seven boards, which was as many as anyone on the Wizards.
"We were a little tired," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, whose club has won six straight home games. "At the start of the game we weren't with it. But our defense picked us up as the game wore on. Rebounding was the key for us tonight."
"If we protect that lower defensive box, we're in good shape to win," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "We took care of two-thirds of it, but not the glass."
Artest scored 16 points to lead five players in double figures. He had seven in the third quarter, when Indiana doubled a seven-point halftime lead to 70-56 entering the final period.
Kwame Brown scored 17 points off the bench for Washington, which completed a 1-3 road trip.
"Getting beat on the boards like we did, there's nothing that you can really balance that out with in another area, because rebounds do so many things," said Wizards guard Larry Hughes, who scored 16 points. "Sometimes you can offset turnovers with rebounds, but that's not what the problem was tonight. We just have to rebound better."
Artest, who was ejected from Sunday's loss in Sacramento, hit a 3-pointer that gave Indiana a 64-48 lead with 3:33 left in the third quarter. He also handed out nine assists.
"Ron Artest played a big role tonight, scoring and making plays," Carlisle said.
Carlisle emptied his bench after Indiana opened a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter. He was forced to put his starters back in after a youthful unit for Washington cut the deficit to 10 points with four minutes to go.
"They came back there with their starters; that's what sealed it," Jordan said. "For the last five minutes there, I thought I was going to have to change some diapers. All of our guys were under 22, playing against their starters. It was past their bedtime."
"Their team made a pretty good run at the end and our team didn't really close it the way we like to close it," O'Neal said.
