The streak is finally over.  Miami held on to beat the Indiana Pacers 98-92 to cut their losing streak at 15, which is good for the second biggest in team history.

"You don't like to be part of that every day," Heat Coach Pat Riley said. "So they're just happy this thing is over with."

The Bergen Record is reporting that the Pacers recently approached the Nets about an exchange of Jermaine O'Neal for Vince Carter.

Because of O'Neal's bum knee, the Nets never seriously considered the offer.

Jermaine O'Neal has accepted the fact that he may have to sit out the entire season to heal his ailing knee, but the Indiana Pacers don't expect that to be the case.

"I'm proceeding with the assumption of what our medical people tell me," Coach Jim O'Brien told the Indianapolis Star before Indiana's game in Philadelphia on Monday. "They feel it's a bone bruise that can be cleaned up, and he'll be ready to go."

If that is the case, O'Neal will miss at least two weeks but not much longer than that. The Pacers currently hold the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with the Nets and Bulls breathing down their necks.

Despite the fact that Jermaine O'Neal admitted to the Indianapolis Star that he would sit out the entire season to heal his ailing knee if need be, he refused to put a timetable on his return Monday night.

"I don't know when I'm coming back," O'Neal said before the Pacers' win over the 76ers.

The news comes off a report over the weekend that O'Neal rushed back too soon from offseason knee surgery.

In order to fix his ongoing left knee injury, Jermaine O'Neal is willing to sit out the rest of the season.

O'Neal told the Indianapolis Star on Sunday that his knee has not fully recovered and that he returned to the court too soon following his April surgery.

"That's really the prime option for me," O'Neal said Sunday afternoon, of sitting out the rest of the season. "We're going to rehab now like it was the summer with an extensive rehab. If that consists of a month or the rest of the season, I need to take the necessary steps to not come back on something that's not really healthy."

"That's the thing we have been saying. It's OK, but it really hasn't really been OK."

According to a report in The Record, the New Jersey Nets have discussed a potential deal with the Indiana Pacers which involves two All-Stars.

The Nets would acquire All-Star power forward Jermaine O'Neal, but it would cost them their own All-Star in high flyer Vince Carter.

There were recent whispers about Carter being offered for Knick forward Zach Randolph, although there was conflicting reports about who made the offer.

The new proposal would send Carter, Marcus Williams, and Jamaal Magloire to Indiana for O'Neal. But O'Neal has a bone bruise in his knee that will sideline him at least two weeks.

In June, the Pacers wanted Richard Jefferson ? provided they found a third team to take him -- Williams and Nenad Krstic for O'Neal. The Nets countered by removing Krstic and adding Jason Collins and Indiana declined.

Pacers' forward Jermaine O?Neal will miss a minimum of two weeks, starting with Saturday night?s home game against Sacramento, due to a bone bruise on his left knee.

Indiana Pacers' Coach Jim O'Brien said Thursday his version of Jamaal Tinsley's absence from Wednesday's game "is the story I'm sticking with."

O'Brien said before and after Wednesday's win over Golden State that Tinsley was inactive because of an injured left knee.

Several people with knowledge of the situation, however, said Tinsley was "suspended" and "disciplined" after an incident during the team's film session the previous day.

Thursday, O'Brien said he "deactivated" Tinsley.

"As an NBA coach I have the ability and the right to deactivate any player I want," O'Brien said after practice Thursday. "I deactivated Jamaal and Ike (Diogu)."

- Indiana 125, Golden State 117

The Indiana Pacers used a 46-point fourth quarter to come from behind and beat the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Trailing by fourteen heading into the final period, the Pacers roared back thanks in part to a 54-35 rebounding advantage. Danny Granger led Indiana with 29 points and 9 rebounds, and Mike Dunleavy added 22 and 9 of his own. Baron Davis tallied 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Al Harrington added 22 and 5 for Golden State. Indiana was 36-for-38 from the foul line.

Game FIC Scores
Baron Davis, GSW ? 25.38*
Danny Granger, IND ? 18.75
Al Harrington, GSW ? 12.75
Mike Dunleavy, IND ? 12.13

- Toronto 116, Sacramento 91

Chris Bosh led the Toronto Raptors past the Sacramento Kings last night, tallying 31 points and 9 rebounds in the process. Jose Calderon added 17 points and 14 assists as the Raptors shot 52% from the field against a porous Kings? defense. Mike Bibby, who returned from injury, added 19 points and 6 rebounds. Sacramento also welcomed back Ron Artest, but his return wasn?t nearly as successful as Bibby?s. The Raptors outrebounded the Kings by thirteen and enjoyed a 68-42 advantage over the second and third quarters.

Game FIC Scores
Chris Bosh, TOR ? 26.25
Jose Calderon, TOR ? 24.5
Brad Miller, SAC ? 15.25
Kevin Martin, SAC ? 11.38

- Chicago 126, Miami 96

In a battle of disappointing Eastern Conference teams, the Chicago Bulls routed the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in South Beach. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 24 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds while Joe Smith added 23 points of his own. Chicago shot 57% from the field, holding Miami to just 46% shooting. Shaquille O?Neal starred for the Heat, with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Udonis Haslem added a double-double, as well. Miami turned the ball over 17 times against just 9 for Chicago.

Game FIC Scores

Udonis Haslem, MIA ? 19.5
Joe Smith, CHI ? 18.63
Ben Gordon, CHI ? 15.25
Shaquille O?Neal, MIA ? 13.25

- Boston 100, Portland 90

After dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season, the Boston Celtics struck back by defeating the surging Portland Trail Blazers last night. Ray Allen led Boston with 35 points, and Paul Pierce added 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Blazers shot 46% from the floor against 43% for the Celtics, but Boston capitalized on Portland?s 19 turnovers. Brandon Roy starred for the Blazers with 22 points and 6 assists. Travis Outlaw, who has come out of his shell recently, added 17 points and 7 boards for Portland.

Game FIC Scores

Ray Allen, BOS ? 21
Kevin Garnett, BOS ? 17.63
Travis Outlaw, POR ? 13.88
Brandon Roy, POR ? 9.5

- Charlotte 99, Orlando 93

The Charlotte Bobcats used a strong second half to comeback and stun the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Gerald Wallace starred for the Bobcats, scoring 36 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing 5 assists. Charlotte was victorious despite shooting just 40%, thanks to Orlando?s 18 turnovers. Dwight Howard led the Magic in defeat with 24 points and 21 rebounds. Jason Richardson chipped in for the Bobcats as well, with 26 points, 5 rebound,s and 4 assists.

Game FIC Scores

Gerald Wallace, CHA ? 29.25
Dwight Howard, ORL ? 28.13
Jason Richardson, CHA ? 11.25
Rashard Lewis, ORL ? 6.75

- New York 111, New Jersey 105

Jamal Crawford led the New York Knicks to a victory over the New Jersey Nets in a battle of the NBA?s tristate franchises. Crawford tallied 35 points and 8 assists while Zach Randolph added 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks. New York used some hot foul-shooting, 85%, to overcome a negative-five rebounding margin on Wednesday night. Vince Carter led New Jersey with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Josh Boone added a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards.

Game FIC Scores
Jamal Crawford, NYK ? 24.75
Vince Carter, NJN ? 19.38
Zach Randolph, NYK -
Josh Boone, NJN ? 16.5

- New Orleans 123, Seattle 92

Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler led the New Orleans Hornets over the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday night despite a valiant effort by Kevin Durant. Paul tallied 12 points and 11 assists while Chandler scored 14 points and grabbed 21 rebounds. Durant did his best in defeat with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. New Orleans outrebounded Seattle by twelve and enjoyed a nice advantage in field goal shooting (51% to 43%). David West was strong for the Hornets, as well, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Game FIC Scores
Tyson Chandler, NOH ? 25.75
Earl Watson, SEA ? 19.63
Kevin Durant, SEA ? 16.88
Chris Paul, NOH ? 12.25

- Milwaukee 87, Atlanta 80

Knotted at 65 after three quarters, the Milwaukee Bucks used a strong fourth quarter to knock off the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Andrew Bogut contributed 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Bucks while Yi Jianlian added 16 and 9 of his own. Milwaukee shot just 37% from the field against Atlanta but outrebounded the Hawks by eleven in their victory. Marvin Williams played well in defeat with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Josh Smith added 19 points and 9 boards for Atlanta.

Game FIC Scores
Andrew Bogut, MIL ? 21
Marvin Williams, ATL ? 15.88
Josh Smith, ATL ? 14.13
Yi Jianlian, MIL ? 10.25

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'

Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Indiana Pacers suspended Jamaal Tinsley for Wednesday night's game against Golden State following an incident during a film session one day earlier, The Star has learned.

What exactly happened during the session is unknown. However, coach Jim O'Brien said prior to Wednesday's game that Tinsley would sit out because of an injured knee.

O'Brien told The Star the same thing after the game.

The Tinsley situation overshadowed a big comeback win by the Pacers, 125-117 over the Warriors.

Former Pacer and current Golden State forward Stephen Jackson, along with several people with knowledge of the situation, confirmed that Tinsley was suspended. The length of Tinsley's suspension is uncertain.

Tinsley, who has dealt with an assortment of injuries the past few weeks, has routinely attended home and road games while injured this season, but he was not at Conseco Fieldhouse on Wednesday.