INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 28 (Ticker) -- The New Orleans Hornets knew they would have to contend with Ron Artest. They also should have been concerned with Erick Strickland.

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Artest scored 23 points and Strickland had 15 of his season-high 20 in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers remained dominant at Conseco Fieldhouse with a 91-84 triumph over the Hornets on Saturday.

Filling in for an ineffective Jamaal Tinsley in the second half, Strickland snapped a 75-75 tie and put Indiana ahead for good with a pair of free throws with 3½ minutes to play. He followed with a jumper, Artest made a layup and Jermaine O'Neal a running jumper to give the Pacers an eight-point advantage with 1:29 to play.

"This is really a team effort," Strickland said. "Night in and night out, someone always steps up. Tonight I was fortunate that it was me."

"I thought he came in and did a great job, not only shooting but defensively," Pacers coach Isiah Thomas said of Strickland. "His energy was really good. He was all over the place. ... Anytime they work hard and the work pays off, you're happy for them."

The Hornets got no closer than five points down the stretch.

Reggie Miller contributed 15 points and O'Neal, playing for the first time in five games due to a hyperextended left knee, added 12 and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Pacers, who have won seven straight at home to improve to 14-1 at Conseco Fieldhouse.

"Up to about 30-40 minutes before game time, I didn't think I could go," O'Neal said. "But I went back to the locker room after the shootaround and did a little more rehab and I started feeling good. I would give anything to be in there tonight. As the game progressed, my knee started feeling a little weak and my shots were starting to fall short. But I wanted to do anything to help us win."

"I thought his rebounding effort, the way he fought for the ball, was huge," Thomas said. "For a guy who hadn't practiced or played much, he came in and accepted the challenge."

Baron Davis paced New Orleans with 22 points. Jamal Mashburn chipped in 17 and David Wesley and Elden Campbell had 10 apiece for the Hornets, who lost for the fifth time in six road contests.

"They basically just made baskets," Davis said. "We didn't, and that's what it boiled down to. They played good defense, got a couple of stops and offensively started isolating 1-on-1 and they were able to score on us."

Indiana, which had lost three in a row and seven of 10 against New Orleans, shot 47 percent (36-of-76) and limited the Hornets to 36 percent (34-of-94).

The Pacers limited the Hornets to 26.5 shooting in the first half en route to a 45-35 advantage at the break. New Orleans climbed within 62-59 entering the fourth quarter.

The Hornets completed a seven-game western road trip Monday and lost at home to Dallas on Thursday before coming here.

"I thought we were tired," New Orleans coach Paul Silas said. "I don't think fatigue set in on them as it did for us, with that West Coast swing we just did. When you shoot 26 percent in the first half, you aren't going to beat anybody. When your shots aren't going, it's on your legs, and we just didn't have the lift. But we've just got to play through it."