Game Preview: Pacers vs Knicks

Thursday, January 10th at 8:00 PM EST at Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Game Preview: IND vs NYK

by Scott Agness | January 8, 2013 | Updated January 10, 2013 12:30 PM

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Matchup

Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks. TNT. Reggie Miller.

Thursday’s game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse has the makings of one of the best regular season home games on the Pacers’ slate. They’ll make their national television debut of the season – with Hall of Famer Reggie Miller on the broadcast along with Marv Albert and Craig Sager – as they play host to the New York Knicks. This will be the Pacers’ third game in six days against some of the best in the Eastern Conference – Boston, Miami and New York.

New York won the first meeting, although it was very early in the season. The Pacers have since altered part of their philosophy but mostly, players are coming around. Paul George has consistently produced, Lance Stephenson has picked up his workload and D.J. Augustin has been effective in recent games.

The Knicks are coming off a 102-96 loss to the Boston Celtics Monday night. They average over 102 points per game, are efficient with the 3-ball (especially Steve Novak), and have multiple All-Stars.

The Knicks were the hottest team at the start of the season, even without A’mare Stoudemire, who was out because of a knee injury. They will be without Carmelo Anthony – the NBA’s second-leading scorer with 29 points per game – after he was suspended one game by the league for confronting Kevin Garnett after their matchup Monday. Coach Mike Woodson wouldn't divulge in shootaround who would start in his place, but Chris Copeland is likely to be the guy.

J.R. Smith is one of the best players off the bench in the league. He's worth about 17 points, five rebounds and three assists each night. The other guy the Pacers must focus on is Tyson Chandler in the middle. He's an active big that nearly pulls down a double-double each game and he’ll be a tough encounter for Hibbert in the paint. Rebounding will be critical for the Knicks as the Pacers are number one in the league on the boards.

Probable Starters

George Hill

DJ Augustin

Lance Stephenson

Lance Stephenson

Paul George

Paul George

David West

David West

Roy Hibbert

Roy Hibbert

Jason Kidd

Ronnie Brewer

Chris Copeland

Marcus Camby

Tyson Chandler

Injury Update

Pacers: Danny Granger (out, left knee), George Hill (day-to-day, bronchitis)
Knicks: Carmelo Anthony (out, suspension), Raymond Felton (out, fracture of right fifth finger), Iman Shumpert (out, torn left ACL and meniscus), Rasheed Wallace (questionable, sore left foot)

Quotable

"They're a different animal. They're a beast of a team. They play with as much tenacity as any team in the NBA. How it felt when we played Boston last week where Boston's backs were against the wall is how it's going to feel tomorrow night... They're a physical team. When you got Tyson Chandler manning the middle, they're going to be a physical team and they're physical at the wing spot and the guards spot, too." - Frank Vogel on New York

"We always have a shot when we’re locked in defensively. For us, we just have to continue to share the ball, look for guys and execute. Again, it’s defense. They’re a team that can points up and they have guys that can put big numbers up." – Paul George on New York

Noteworthy

  • The Knicks (23-11) are 10-7 on the road.
  • Iman Shumpert hasn’t played this season for New York after having offseason knee surgery. He was cleared to practice on Tuesday, but it’s doubtful that he’ll play.
  • Pacers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh was the Knicks’ President from 2008-2011.
  • Mike Woodson, one of four NBA head coaches that attended Indiana University, was born in Indianapolis and attended Broad Ripple High School.
  • Knicks assistant coach Herb Williams played for the Pacers from 1981-89.
  • There will be a special Reggie Miller career highlights video played on the scoreboard during the first quarter.

Last Meeting

The Pacers road woes continued in New York during their Sunday afternoon clash against the NBA’s last unbeaten team. Neither team shot particularly well, although surprisingly, the Pacers’ clip (39.4%) was higher than the Knicks’ (36.7%). The Knicks won by double digits, 88-76. They outscored the Pacers 20-12 in the second quarter as the Pacers missed 13 of 16 shots in the period.

Paul George had 20 points and David West added 14 points and seven rebounds. The Knicks were led by Carmelo Anthony’s 26 points and nine rebounds. J.R. Smith recorded 13 points and Raymond Felton, who is now sidelined with an injury, chipped in 11.

The Pacers committed 19 turnovers in their sixth-straight road loss to start the 2012-13 season.

Broadcast Information | Find Local Listings »

TV: TNT – Marv Albert (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Craig Sager (sideline reporter)
Radio: 1070 The Fan, Pacers Radio Network - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Slick Leonard (analyst), Kevin Lee (sideline reporter/host)

Ticket Information

The Pacers-Knicks matchup starts at 8:00 PM. Buy Tickets »

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