Ron Artest had 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 98-75 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night.

Pacers forward Ron Artest puts up a shot over Minnesota Timberwolves  forward Latrell Sprewell during the second quarter in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003. [AP]

Jermaine O'Neal had 17 points, nine rebounds and six blocks and Jeff Foster added 10 points and nine boards to help NBA-leading Indiana improve to 12-2.

The Pacers had their most complete offensive performance of the season, with six players scoring in double figures, to bury the Timberwolves and win their sixth game in a row.

Kevin Garnett led the cold-shooting Timberwolves with 25 points and 16 rebounds.

The Pacers led by as many as 23 midway through the third quarter before the Timberwolves mounted a comeback.

O'Neal went to the bench with his fourth foul with 5:18 to play in the third, and Minnesota went on a 20-4 run to cut the lead to 69-61 with under two minutes to play in the quarter.

The Pacers responded with a 10-0 run of their own early in the fourth to regain control.

Reggie Miller then hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Pacers a 91-72 lead and send the Timberwolves to their first loss in four games.

Indiana used balanced scoring and good shooting to jump out to a 50-32 halftime lead. The Pacers didn't have a player score in double figures in the half, but they shot 50 percent from the floor to build the comfortable lead.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, were carried by Garnett early. He scored 14 points in the first half on 6-of-11 shooting, but his teammates shot 7-for-30 from the floor.

The Timberwolves shot 39 percent for the game.

Sam Cassell added 25 points and six assists for Minnesota. Cassell and Garnett shot 22-for-38 from the floor (58 percent), while their teammates were 6-for-34 (18 percent).

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