The best measurement yet of how much Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender have improved came midway through the fourth quarter of the Indiana Pacers' victory over Portland Saturday.

With the Pacers leading by seven points and both high school draftees playing well, coach Isiah Thomas actually wondered if he should leave Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose on the bench for the finish of a close game.

"I looked at Reggie and Jalen and for a split-second I thought, 'Should I do this?' " Thomas said after the Pacers' 105-96 victory at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Thomas returned Miller and Rose to the game, but Harrington and Bender had made their point. More and more, the kids look like they're ready for prime time.

Harrington scored 18 points and Bender added 15 to lead a bench effort that saved the exhausted Pacers at the end of their busiest week of the season.

The victory closed a five-game week with a 4-1 record and lifted the Pacers to a 6-2 record -- the best since the franchise joined the NBA in 1976.

It also marked the third consecutive game in which the Pacers had to overcome a double-figure deficit to win. They trailed by 11 points early in the second quarter and didn't take the lead for good until the fourth.

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Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers

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