Knicks-Pacers Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 09 2013 10:29PM

The New York Knicks have shown good resolve following losses, but to bounce back Thursday night, they'll have to do it without the suspended Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks try to correct a stretch in which they've lost six of 11 and prevent the Indiana Pacers from winning nine in a row at home for the first time in nearly 10 years.

New York (23-11) is 8-2 following losses, but unlike all but one of those games, they'll be without Anthony on Thursday. He was suspended for one game by the NBA on Wednesday for confronting Boston's Kevin Garnett after Monday's 102-96 home defeat. The two were involved in a fourth-quarter altercation in which both were given technical fouls.

Anthony approached the Celtics' locker room and later waited for Garnett outside Boston's team bus.

"There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for a player to confront an opponent after a game," NBA Executive Vice President of Operations Stu Jackson said in a statement. "Carmelo Anthony attempted to engage with Kevin Garnett multiple times after Monday's game and therefore a suspension was warranted."

Though Anthony was held to 20 points on 6-of-26 shooting, his 29.0 points per game rank second in the league. He averaged 35.0 over his previous five contests.

"We've sat down and we've talked about it," coach Mike Woodson said. "Listen, Melo's been playing at a high level and Melo likes winning. He's tasted that here and he's a big part of why we're winning and hey, he just can't have slippage right now."

Without Anthony, New York may need J.R. Smith to continue his recent scoring spark. Smith is averaging 23.9 points over his last nine games after scoring 14.4 in his first 25.

The Pacers (21-14) have won eight of 10 and continue to play some of the league's best defense, allowing 89.5 points per game. They held Miami to a season-low output in an 87-77 home win Tuesday and have limited four of their last five opponents below 90 points.

Indiana has been even more impressive on the defensive end during its eight-game home win streak, allowing opponents to average 82.8 points. The Pacers haven't won nine in a row on their own floor since a 14-game run Nov. 28, 2002-Jan. 26, 2003.

Paul George is tied with David West for the team lead with 16.7 points per game as Indiana continues to play without Danny Granger (knee). George had 29 against the Heat after scoring 17 over his previous two games on 8-of-29 shooting.

"The simple fact that Danny Granger is hurt has created this opportunity for him to show what he can do," Heat star LeBron James said of George, who is averaging 6.8 minutes more than last season. "He's doing everything. He was a good player last year, but we weren't able to see it because he wasn't a featured player."

Coach Frank Vogel said Granger's recovery is on schedule, and he should be able to return in about a month.

For the Knicks, guard Iman Shumpert practiced Tuesday for the first time since tearing his ACL in April. There is still no timetable for his return, but it's a good sign after Shumpert averaged 9.5 points and a team-best 1.7 steals as a rookie last season.

Anthony had 26 points as New York beat the Pacers 88-76 at home Nov. 18 for its fourth win in five meetings.

George leads Pacers past short-handed Knicks 81-76

By MICHAEL MAROT
Posted Jan 11 2013 12:04AM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) First the Heat, now the Knicks.

The Indiana Pacers are proving they can beat up on everyone in the Eastern Conference these days.

Paul George scored seven of his 25 points during a decisive 13-0 fourth-quarter run, leading the Pacers past New York 81-76 on a night the Knicks were without their top scorer, Carmelo Anthony. Indiana has won 12 of 15 and swept the two other Eastern Conference division leaders this week.

"We want to compete for the one and two (seeds) and for sure want to compete for the No. 1 spot," George said. "We probably could be pushing one or two if we would have started off playing the way we're playing right now."

Clearly, the Knicks (23-12) weren't the same without their All-Star forward, who was suspended for the game after Monday's postgame confrontation with Boston's Kevin Garnett. They finished with a season-low point total, shot just 34.8 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range.

And the Pacers (22-14) took Anthony's absence by pulling off a rare double - beating defending champion Miami and Atlantic Division-leading New York - in back-to-back games.

It's about time. The Pacers came into this season with high expectations, but struggled early as they tried to adjust to life without their top scorer, Danny Granger, who still has not played because of a left knee injury.

Now, they're rolling. Indiana has won nine straight home games, their longest streak since 2002-03, and their suffocating defense limited the short-handed Knicks to just three points over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first quarter and into 11 straight misses during the opening part of the fourth.

"They did what they had to do to secure the win," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

Nobody did more than Indiana's new leader.

George started the game by missing his first five shots, but wound up finishing 10 of 24 from the field. He also had 11 rebounds, six steals, five assists and one block on a night point guard George Hill played with bronchitis and All-Star center Roy Hibbert left twice with a bad back.

But George got help from some surprising places.

Ian Mahinmi finished with 13 points and six rebounds, and Lance Stephenson added nine points and seven rebounds.

"He (George) is just blossoming in front of our eyes with special performance after special performance after special performance," coach Frank Vogel said. "He's leading our defense, which is becoming a beast and our guys are embracing that identity."

It wasn't just Anthony who was missing for New York. He spent the day at the team hotel.

Doctors also told Woodson to limit Amare Stoudemire to 21 minutes as he tries to work his way back from October knee surgery. Stoudemire wound up playing 21:31 and scoring nine points, and the Knicks lost starting forward Marcus Camby for all but 2 1/2 minutes of the second half after the longtime veteran re-injured his left foot.

Without those three, the Knicks were led by J.R. Smith, who had 25 points and almost single-handedly rallied the Knicks in the second half. Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 15 rebounds, and nobody else scored more than eight.

"We are short-handed, we've got two starters on the bench," Woodson said, telling reporters that Camby's injury would be evaluated after the team returned home. "But the effort was great. We need to keep this up."

After New York fell behind 49-38 early in the third quarter, Smith led the Knicks on a 13-3 run that cut the deficit to 52-51. He closed the quarter by scoring four more to give New York a 60-58. Chandler opened the fourth with a driving dunk to give New York a 62-58 lead.

That's when George took over.

He drove in for a layup, then stole the ball and drove in for a dunk to tie the score at 62. After Gerald Green's 3-pointer broke the tie and Mahinmi hit a 20-foot jumper, George came up with another steal and layup and Mahinmi finished the run with a dunk. Suddenly, Indiana led 71-62 with 4:57 to play and New York never seriously challenged again.

"It's good that we got those wins," George said. "They are great quality wins against two great teams in the East right now. Everybody takes great pride in guarding their guys. Nobody wants to get scored on, on this team."

NOTES: Former Pacers star and new Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was honored with a special video during the first quarter. Fans gave him a standing ovation and chanted "Reg-gie! Reg-gie!" as the TNT broadcaster attempted to focus on his work. ... Colts coach Chuck Pagano was given a standing ovation when he was introduced during the second quarter. ... The Knicks had won four of the previous five meetings in this series. ... Indiana shot 39.2 percent from the field and has now six games when shooting less than 40 percent.

Notebook: Pacers 81, Knicks 76

Conrad Bruner, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:47 PM - Updated Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:47 PM

THE FACTS: The Indiana Pacers are making a compelling case for becoming the NBA's best defensive team. Two days after limiting the defending champion Heat to a season-low 77 points in a 10-point victory, the Pacers held the next-best team in the Eastern Conference to a season-low 76 points in a five-point win over the New York Knicks Thursday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Paul George took care of business at both ends, as usual, leading the Pacers with 24 points, adding 11 rebounds, a career-high six steals and five assists. Ian Mahinmi came off the bench to replace an ailing Roy Hibbert down the stretch and scored 11 of his 13 points in a 21-4 fourth-quarter run that blew open the game. Indiana (22-14) won its ninth straight at home, the team's longest streak since 2002-03. The Knicks played without suspended star Carmelo Anthony and his absence was felt mightily. J.R. Smith scored a game-high 25 points but shot 10 of 29 from the field. Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks (23-12), who have lost seven of 12.

QUOTABLE: "Special performance after special performance after special performance. He's leading our defense, which is becoming a best, and guys are embracing that identity."
-- Indiana coach Frank Vogel on George.

THE STAT: New York entered the game first in the NBA in 3-pointers made (11.4 per game) and third in percentage (.390) but hit just 4 of 20 from the arc.

TURNING POINT: The Knicks wiped out an 11-point deficit to take a 62-58 lead early in the fourth quarter thanks to a 24-9 run, with Smith scoring 12 of the points. But George and Mahinmi took matters into their own hands. George scored six points -- twice converting steals into layups -- as Indiana scored 13 unanswered points to take the lead for good. Mahinmi scored nine of the team's next 10 points to polish off the 21-4 run with a three-point play that made it 79-66 with 2:15 remaining.

QUOTABLE II: "If anything, I hope my assists will go up."
-- George when asked what adjustments he'll have to make when Danny Granger returns.

HOT: George struggled in the first half, scoring just seven points on 2-of -9 shooting, but heated up in the second. He scored 17 points on 8-of -15 shooting after intermission. Mahinmi hit 6-of -7 shots in 20 highly productive minutes.

NOT: After putting the Knicks ahead 60-58 with a jumper late in the third quarter, Smith missed his next seven shots and was scoreless more than nine minutes into the fourth quarter. Indiana's David West continued his recent shooting slump, going 3-of-11, and backup Tyler Hansbrough shot 1-of-8.

QUOTABLE III: "They're good, really good. And playing shorthanded made it tough. We had a tough time adjusting our rotation tonight. Playing shorthanded was a factor. Guys are not used to playing with each other. We fought hard but you've got to give the Pacers credit. They played really well defensively against Miami and us. They are for real."
-- Chandler

GOOD MOVE: With Hibbert struggling with back spasms early in the second quarter, Vogel brought little-used reserve Jeff Pendergraph off the bench to spell Mahinmi and protect against foul trouble. Pendergraph provided a nice spark with six points in the period. When Hibbert left the game for good in the fourth quarter, Mahinmi was able to step in and be a difference-maker.

BAD MOVE: Smith apparently took Anthony's absence as a license to take every shot in his repertoire, a large chunk of which were thoroughly ill-advised.

NOTABLE: Hibbert left early in the fourth quarter after blocking a Chandler dunk attempt and wound up playing less than 20 minutes. ... Indiana point guard George Hill played 34 minutes despite a case of bronchitis. ... New York's Marcus Camby left in the third quarter with a sore left foot. ... Indiana has won three in a row and nine of 11. ... This was George's eighth double-double of the season, six in the last 12 games. ... Four of George's career-high six steals were converted into layups or dunks. ... Indiana has held three consecutive opponents to fewer than 80 points. ... The Knicks did not score a fast-break point. ... Chris Copeland started his third game of the season with Anthony serving his one-game suspension for confronting Kevin Garnett after the Knicks' loss to Boston Wednesday night. Copeland scored just eight points. ... Amar'e Stoudemire has yet to play in back-to-back games but that could change with the Knicks heading to Chicago Friday. He scored nine points in 21 and 1/2 minutes ... Knicks guard Iman Shumpert is working out and is making steady progress in his comeback from a torn left ACL. Woodson said Shumpert would practice next week but that he still did not have a target date for his return. ...

The game marked a rare return to Indianapolis by TNT analyst and Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and he was surrounded by plenty of familiar faces. Former teammates Rik Smits and Derrick McKey were spectators. Another, Haywoode Workman, was on the officiating crew and yet another, LaSalle Thompson, was an assistant coach with the Knicks. All were teammates on the 1993-94 Pacers team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time, losing to the Knicks in seven games.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Saturday vs. Charlotte, Sunday @ Brooklyn, Tuesday @ Charlotte. For the Knicks, Friday vs. Chicago, Sunday vs. New Orleans, Thursday @ Detroit.

• Knicks: Felton, Shumpert
• Pacers: Granger, Plumlee

• Knicks: Chandler, Smith
• Pacers: Stephenson

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #11 Derrick Collins, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 16568
• Duration: 2:21