INDIANAPOLIS, April 10 (Ticker) -- The Indiana Pacers finally played with a sense of desperation.

Stephen Jackson scored 28 points and Peja Stojakovic added 23 as the Pacers won for just second time in nine games with a 101-82 triumph over the New York Knicks.

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Bouncing back from Sunday's 73-point outing against Detroit, Indiana (37-40) is tied with Milwaukee for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of Philadelphia with five games remaining.

"We desperately needed this win," Jackson said. "It (has) been up-and-down, up-and-down all season. Everybody has been frustrated. Tonight, we played with a refuse-to-lose attitude and got the win."

"It certainly was a very important game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Let's face it, it was critical. We're in a must-win situation every night."

Trailing, 62-61, with 4:20 left in the third quarter, the Pacers used a 15-0 run to take control. Jackson scored six points and Stojakovic hit a 3-pointer and a jumper during the burst for a 76-62 lead with 10:02 remaining.

"We missed some free throws that gave them a little life," Knicks coach Larry Brown said of the Pacers' decisive run. "We started turning the ball over. They (Indiana) got hot and we didn't have an answer."

After Jamal Crawford sank a 10-running jumper for the Knicks, Jackson made a pair of baskets and Austin Croshere nailed a 3-pointer to help widen Indiana's lead to 83-66 with 8:11 to play.

"I got lucky tonight and hit some shots," Jackson said. "I've struggled lately but my team still believes in me enough to give me shots. I just wanted to be aggressive and shoot with confidence."

Crawford made three foul shots and Eddy Curry dunked for New York, cutting the deficit to 83-71 with 7:07 remaining. However, Stojakovic and Croshere scored five points each and Jermaine O'Neal added four down the stretch to give the Pacers a 101-76 edge with 79 seconds left.

"I, myself, was frustrated," said O'Neal, who didn't have a basket until midway through the fourth quarter. "On some nights, you just know that it's not going to be there offensively. I just wanted to lock in defensively, block some shots, and do what I can to help us win."

Croshere scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and O'Neal added 10 points and four blocks for Indiana, which forced 19 turnovers and picked up a split of the four-game season series.

"It's kind of late (in the season) but we need to make a stand," Croshere said. "I think everybody is really upset with the way we've been playing. When you've lost eight out of (ten), culminating with the blow-out (Sunday), the best thing to do is get back to basics."

Crawford, who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier Monday, made 10-of-19 shots and scored 26 points. Curry had 12 and Steve Francis added 11 for the Knicks (22-55), who saw their three-game winning streak end.

"I can't feel good about it," Crawford said. "I'm all about winning, not about stats. When you win and this kind of game happens, that's great, but not when you lose."