INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal says he could play against the New Jersey Nets tonight after missing 32 games with a bruised left knee, although he's more likely to return next week.

O'Neal, one of the league's premier interior defenders, participated in Friday's shootaround. The six-time All-Star, averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 33 games before the injury.

The Pacers are 2½ games out of the eighth and final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference with 10 games left