"He's got a sore back or something," Nelson said. "I didn't think he was moving very well. I didn't think he moved very well in practice this morning. I didn't expect much from him, but he gave me what he had."

Jackson denied Nelson's claim that he was hurt, saying he just had a scratch. Golden State's No. 2 scorer was unhappy with his playing time, but said he respected Nelson's decision.

"Regardless of where I'm at, I want to play," he said. "I have no control over that. I want to play. Regardless of if I'm in Africa, wherever, I want to play. I could have did more than what I did tonight."

Jackson said he liked the moves the Pacers have made since trading him in 2007.

"They are going young," he said. "They've got some nice pieces they are putting around Danny. It's going to take some time, but they'll be OK."

The Pacers have followed three double-digit losses with three double-digit wins.

"We're finally coming together," Watson said. "Defensively, we're doing a lot of good things. Offensively, we're sharing the ball. We've still got a lot of room to grow, so we haven't peaked yet, and that's the exciting thing about us."

Notes

Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said Murphy could play Saturday against Boston. ... Other Pacers who missed the game were C Jeff Foster (ankle), G Mike Dunleavy (knee) and G Travis Diener (foot). ... Watson hit a 30-foot jumper at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Pacers a 32-28 lead. ... Hansbrough committed three fouls in the first quarter.