INDIANAPOLIS, March 5 (Ticker) -- Rookie Jamaal Tinsley scored a season-high 30 points and had 12 assists and six rebounds as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic, 111-98, further tightening the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Tinsley made 12-of-20 shots from the field, including five 3-pointers, for Indiana (30-30), which moved within one game of Orlando (31-29) for the fifth playoff spot in the East.

Just three games separate fourth-place Boston (32-27) from Charlotte and Washington (29-30), which are tied for eighth.

Jermaine O'Neal and Austin Croshere added 18 points apiece and Ron Artest chipped in 17 for the Pacers, who shot 51 percent (40-of-79) and limited the Magic to 40 percent (39-of-98).

NBA TV highlights from Magic-Pacers: 56k | 300k Jamaal Tinsley had a career night, nearly messing around with a triple-double, and netting five treys. Ron Haskins NBAE/Getty Images

Indiana led, 87-72, after Kevin Ollie hit a pair of free throws with 10 1/2 minutes to go, but Orlando rallied to get within 96-90 on two free throws by Tracy McGrady with 4:40 left.

Tinsley countered with a 3-pointer and the Magic got no closer than nine points thereafter.

"I just wanted to come out and be aggressive," said Tinsley, who had 14 points in the first quarter and 22 at halftime. "Offensively they were doubling down on JO and that gave me some good looks. I really started feeling good and getting into a groove shooting. As a team I feel we all played really good for all 48 minutes."

Pat Garrity led six Orlando players in double figures with 18 points.

"We cut it down to six at one point and then I had a turnover," Garrity said. "I got stripped going to the basket. You cannot make little mistakes like that, especially when you get on the road like tonight."

McGrady had 11 rebounds and seven assists but was held to 13 points -- 12 below his average -- on 5-of-21 shooting.

"They played great team defense," McGrady said. "That's what it was. I would get past one guy and there was another one there waiting for me. It seemed like every time I would make a move two guys were on me."

Indiana took the lead for good on a layup and free throw by Artest with 5:32 left in the first half to make it 40-37. The Pacers held a 56-49 advantage at the break and extended their edge to 82-69 after three quarters.

With 2:25 remaining in the game, Darrell Armstrong and coach Doc Rivers were ejected for arguing with the officials after O'Neal appeared to get away with an offensive foul pushing off on Armstrong.

"The refs didn't see the game I saw," Rivers said. "We took charge after charge and they would not make a call. That was the worst officiated game ever."

"It's just sad," Armstrong said. "We work ourselves back into the game. We played so hard and then the referees start sucking on their whistle. I took a charge, I got hit in the face and can't get a call."

The Pacers played again without Reggie Miller, who completed a two-game suspension for fighting Kobe Bryant in the Pacers' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday.

Indiana became just the third team to defeat Sacramento at Arco Arena on Sunday in the first game of Miller's suspension.

"It turned out to be a plus," said Thomas of playing without Miller. "But it's not the way we want to go."

The victory was the Pacers' eighth in their last nine home games against the Magic.

"With the players that we've had out, like Reggie, (injured guard Ron) Mercer and (Al) Harrington, you almost have to feel sorry for the other teams that we're not all healthy," Artest said. "I feel we've really got a great team."