O'Neal had 23 points and 11 rebounds. He added four blocks and reached double digits in rebounds for the seventh straight game. Rose had 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Pacers, who beat the Nuggets in Denver last Wednesday, 99-85.
"We emphasized and talked about not starting slow and I think we came out ready to play tonight," Rose said. "There were a few rough spots but we were able to work through them. This was a very important game for us tonight and we were able to pull it out."
 Jermaine O'Neal rises above the rest in Indianapolis. Ron Hoskins NBAE/Getty Images |
Al Harrington had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and had six rebounds for Indiana (11-10), which rebounded from an embarrassing 103-72 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday that concluded a 2-3 road trip.
"It's funny," Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said. "You can probably thank the Clippers for this one, not that they beat us so bad but it gave us a chance to rest."
Denver (7-10) was paced by Nick Van Exel's 30 points and 10 assists. Voshon Lenard scored 13 of his season-high 20 points in the fourth quarter. His previous best this season was eight.
"They just dominated us," Van Exel said. "They have a lot of options. They can get a big man getting the downscreens with shooters coming off of curls, and if they don't get bumped they get a layup. If our big men slide over and help, their big guys get a layup. It was too easy."
Raef LaFrentz added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who began a four-game road trip over five days against Eastern Conference opponents.
"We just did not make them work hard on the offensive end," Van Exel said. "We did not play hard on defense at all. Tonight was a terrible game, just terrible. If we play like this the rest of the road trip, we're going to be in trouble."
The Pacers led, 77-67, when rookie point guard Jamaal Tinsley picked up his fifth foul with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter. After a timeout, Indiana scored the next eight points to open its largest lead.
Denver's Shawnelle Scott scored on a three-point play with 27 seconds left in the quarter to make it 85-70 heading into the final period.
Tinsley finished with seven points but registered 16 assists and 10 rebounds.
"We are coming out and playing better as a unit," Tinsley said. "Coach Thomas mentioned to me tonight that he wanted me to make everybody look good. When they look good, it makes me look good. I am here to help this team improve and win ballgames. "
Harrington scored 15 of Indiana's season-high 37 second-quarter points to stretch a 26-23 lead to a 63-51 halftime advantage. The Pacers shot 62 percent (15-of-24) in the second period.
"My motor is always running," Harrington said. "I know I have (a) role and it is to come in and get things energized and jump-started. Sometimes the team follows, whether this is good or bad, so I have to be ready to make a contribution to make this team win."
Indiana took the lead for good, 24-23, on O'Neal's dunk with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
"Offensively we played fine," Denver coach Dan Issel said. "We executed on offense but we just couldn't stop them on defense. I think we played better in the second half. We just couldn't catch them."
The Pacers have won seven straight home games against the Nuggets and 21 of the last 25 against Denver overall.
Indiana finished with more assists (30-20), points in the paint (56-48), second-chance points (21-6) and fast-break points (27-6).