Game Rewind: Pacers 92, Knicks 86

It wasn't nearly as easy the second time around, but the Pacers (28-34) rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the New York Knicks (12-49) for the second time in four days, 92-86. Indiana has now extended its longest winning streak of the season to five games.

On Wednesday night, the Pacers dominated essentially from start to finish at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. They led by 24 points at halftime and cruised to a 23-point victory over the owners of the NBA's worst record.

But the Knicks were much more competitive on Saturday night on their home floor. New York capitalized on an Indiana squad playing the second night of a back-to-back, holding the visitors to 29-percent shooting in the first half to take a five-point lead at halftime.

New York remained in front for much of the second half, leading by as many as nine points with 9:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.

But the Pacers clawed back, eventually taking the lead when C.J. Watson drained a 3-pointer from the right wing and drew a foul with 6:36 to play, capping a 16-4 run by the visitors.

The Knicks tied the game twice more, but George Hill's 3-pointer with 2:34 left gave Indiana an 86-83 lead and the Pacers maintained the advantage the rest of the way.

Rodney Stuckey led Indiana with 17 points and four assists. David West scored eight of his 14 points in the third quarter and also collected 11 rebounds. George Hill finished with 16 points and five rebounds, while Watson added 13 points off the bench.

Knicks forward Andrea Bargnani led all scorers with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting, but fouled out with 3:22 to play and was sorely missed in the final minutes. Alexey Shved added 15 points off the bench for New York.

After a quick trip to New York, the Pacers return to Indiana for another four-game homestand, beginning on Tuesday night against Orlando.

The Knicks shot 38.4 percent from the field on the night, meaning Indiana has held its opponents to 86 or fewer points and under 40-percent shooting in every victory in their five-game winning streak.

The Pacers have now won five straight games for the first time since Feb. 22 - March 2, 2014.

West's double-double was his sixth of the season and his second in consecutive nights. He had 10 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's victory over Chicago.

Stuckey and George Hill were the Pacers' two leading scorers despite combining to shoot just 8-for-23 from the field. The backcourt duo did, however, go a combined 14-for-14 from the free throw line, with Stuckey connecting on all eight of his attempts and Hill making all six of his from the charity stripe.

New York's bench narrowly outscored the Pacers' reserves, 47-44. It was just the third time in 16 games this season that the Blue & Gold won a game in which it scored fewer bench points than its opponent.

After winning 11 of their last 13 games, the Pacers have gone from hovering near the bottom of the standings to controlling their own destiny in the race for a playoff spot. Indiana is now tied with Miami (who defeated Sacramento on Saturday) for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The two teams are percentage points ahead of Charlotte (idle on Saturday).

The Pacers return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday, March 10 to host Victor Oladipo and the Orlando Magic. Reserve your seats now: Find Tickets »