Indianapolis ? The reserves were playing so well for the Indiana Pacers that standout Jermaine O’Neal almost didn’t want to get back in the game.

“You don’t want to mess up the chemistry,” O’Neal said after Tuesday’s 103-90 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of their playoff series. “You don’t want the opposing team to go on a run and beat you.”

After the starters struggled for the first three quarters against Boston, a group of reserves rescued the Pacers with a 21-3 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to give Indiana a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

With an erratic O’Neal watching from the bench and Artest watching from home because of a suspension, Austin Croshere and Jonathan Bender ignited a lifeless Pacers team late in the third quarter.

Croshere hit a three-pointer at the close of the third period and Bender brought a boisterous crowd to its feet with a brilliant three-point play on a dunk in the fourth to give the Pacers a 72-69 lead.

Bender capped the run with a three-pointer that gave the Pacers an 82-72 lead with 7:21 to play and left the Celtics feeling like an opportunity to steal a game was wasted. The series moves to Boston for Game 3 on Friday night.

“We all took this and placed it on our shoulders to turn this game around,” said Bender, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 27 points, but again struggled from the field despite the absence of Artest, the NBA’s defensive player of the year.

Al Harrington was the only “starter” on the floor during Indiana’s surge, and he is normally the team’s sixth man. He was filling in for Artest, suspended for one game by the NBA on Monday for leaving the bench during a confrontation in the Pacers’ Game 1 win.

Pierce figured to have an easier time with Artest out, but that wasn’t the case. He made just seven of 18 shots after going 5-for-18 in Game 1.

“It’s double frustrating,” Pierce said. “We had an opportunity to take a game when they didn’t have their best player on the court. We just unraveled.”

New Jersey's Kenyon Martin, center, dunks against the New York Knicks. Martin had 22 points and 16 rebounds in the Nets' 99-81 victory in Game 2 of their first-round game of the NBA playoffs Tuesday in East Rutherford, N.J.

Jones had 17 points, and Croshere added 10 points and five rebounds.

Nets 99, Knicks 81

East Rutherford, N.J. — The mismatch of the Knicks-Nets series stuck to form, New Jersey showing its superiority over an outmatched and banged-up opponent.

The Nets opened a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which resumes Thursday night at New York.

The Knicks weren’t as docile as in the series opener when there was no response after Tim Thomas was flagrantly fouled and injured, but they didn’t put up all that much of a fight, either.

Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin led the way as the Nets took control in the second quarter. New Jersey led by as many as 22 points in defeating the Knicks for the 14th time in their last 16 meetings.

Martin led New Jersey with 22 points and 16 rebounds.

Kings 83, Mavericks 79

Sacramento, Calif. — When the NBA’s two best offenses sputtered and stalled, the Kings grinded out another victory.

Chris Webber got his first playoff triple-double and Brad Miller hit the go-ahead shot with 34 seconds left. Webber had 19 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, while Mike Bibby scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter for the Kings. They took a 2-0 lead in a playoff series for just the second time since moving to Sacramento.

Game 3 is Saturday in Dallas, where the Kings have lost five straight games dating back to last season’s playoffs.

Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who got just one field goal in the final three minutes.