Marbury, O'Neal return to action for Pacers-Knicks bout

NEW YORK -- Stephon Marbury was back with the Knicks on Monday night against Indiana, while Jermaine O'Neal started for the Pacers two days after sustaining a mild concussion.

Marbury missed four straight and five of the last seven games following the Dec. 2 death of his father, Donald. He returned to practice Sunday but didn't reclaim his starting spot. Fred Jones remained in the lineup along with Jamal Crawford.

Marbury lost weight during his week away, and coach Isiah Thomas said he didn't know what he could expect from his point guard.

O'Neal left Indiana's 106-103 victory at Miami on Saturday with what was originally called a sore neck. It turned out to be a concussion, but he was examined multiple times Monday and cleared to play.