Indianapolis ? With all the big names in the Indiana-Boston playoff series, seldom-used Brandon Hunter might have had the biggest impact in Game 1.

The Celtics’ rookie forward appeared to take a cheap shot at Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal in the second quarter, igniting a rally by the Pacers that made the difference in their 104-88 victory over the Celtics.

Hunter entered the game early in the second quarter and immediately tangled with O’Neal under the Pacers’ basket, drawing a foul for pulling O’Neal to the floor.

“They had a young, strong player throwing an MVP candidate on the floor, and it looked like he was doing it intentionally,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I reacted, and our team reacted. I think that raised their level of angst a little bit.”

O’Neal got up and yelled at Hunter and Ricky Davis, drawing a technical. The confrontation fueled a 24-7 Pacers run.

“You don’t like to see some guy coming in the game that looks like he was put in there to go rough up your best player,” Carlisle said. “I don’t think it’s right.”

Hunter left the locker room quickly and did not comment.

“He just grabbed me and threw me down,” O’Neal said. “I’ve just got to do a better job keeping my composure. If they lose him, it’s not make or break for Boston, but me getting thrown out would be a big loss.”

Following the skirmish, the Pacers used their big run to take a 65-43 lead at halftime.

Boston's Paul Pierce (34) grabs a rebound from Indiana's Al Harrington. The Pacers won Saturday's playoff game at Indianapolis.

Last year, Paul Pierce scored 21 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1, allowing the Celtics to overcome a 16-point deficit and win on their way to eliminating Indiana.

Pierce scored 11 points in the first quarter Saturday, but Ron Artest held him to 1-for-10 shooting in the final three periods. Pierce went 8-for-10 from the foul line and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

O’Neal had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Artest also scored 24. Al Harrington added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers. Chucky Atkins and Davis each scored 19 points for the Celtics.

Nets 107, Knicks 83

East Rutherford, N.J. — New York took a pounding from New Jersey after making the mistake of pushing Jason Kidd around.

The beating was so bad, Knicks forward Tim Thomas left the arena in an ambulance and was to spend the night in a hospital after being flagrantly fouled by Jason Collins. X-rays were negative. Thomas was diagnosed with multiple contusions of the lower back. His status for Game 2 Tuesday night is questionable.

Kidd, meanwhile, was involved in a second-quarter collision with New York backup guard Frank Williams. Williams went down, and Kidd stood over him and appeared to say something. With the Knicks inbounding, Williams shoved Kidd to the floor. He got a technical, and the officials gave Kidd a technical for taunting.

Kidd channeled his annoyance into a 14-point, 13-assist performance.

Kerry Kittles hit his first six shots and scored 20 points for the two-time defending Eastern Conference champions.

Spurs 98, Grizzlies 74

San Antonio — San Antonio gave the Grizzlies a harsh initiation to postseason play with 26 points from Tim Duncan.

The Spurs used their size advantage to produce easy inside baskets from Duncan and Robert Horry, while their relentless defense made Pau Gasol a non-factor and limited Memphis to its worst shooting percentage of the season (34.8).

Eighteen of San Antonio’s first 25 points came in the paint, and the Spurs ended with 50 points inside. The win was the 12th straight for the Spurs.

Lakers 72, Rockets 71

Los Angeles — Shaquille O’Neal’s only basket of the second half, a dunk off an airball by Kobe Bryant with 17.4 seconds remaining, provided the winning points for Los Angeles. The Lakers shot 25 percent in the second half (10-of-40) and 32.9 percent overall, and were outrebounded 51-41. Still, they emerged with the victory when Jim Jackson missed an open three-pointer from the left corner just before time expired.