Granger, Hansbrough lead Pacers past Knicks

[March 16, 2011]  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Danny Granger's jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave the Indiana Pacers a 119-117 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

Indiana passed the ball inbounds with 7.8 seconds left. Granger worked the clock, drove right on Shawne Williams, pulled up and connected on a 17-foot fadeaway.

Granger, who missed Sunday's 106-93 win at New York with strep throat, scored 26 points. Tyler Hansbrough scored a career-high 30 points after setting a career high with 29 Sunday. Darren Collison added 24 points and nine assists for Indiana.

The Pacers had lost six straight before the back-to-back wins over the Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and Amare Stoudemire added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who have lost three straight.

A jumper by Collison gave the Pacers a 116-115 lead with 24 seconds remaining. New York had a chance to take the lead, but Paul George stole Chauncey Billups' bounce pass to Stoudemire. George was fouled and made one of two free throws with 13 seconds left to give Indiana a 117-115 lead.

Anthony made a layup on the other end with 7.8 seconds remaining to tie the score. He drove on Granger, who was playing with five fouls.

Granger responded with the game-winner. After his jumper, New York couldn't connect on a lob attempt as time expired.

Collison's long jumper with a second left in the second quarter gave the Pacers a 57-54 lead at halftime. The Pacers shot 52 percent and outrebounded the Knicks 28-17 before the break, but they committed 13 turnovers to keep the Knicks in the game.

Stoudemire sat for more than 10 minutes at the end of the half after he committed his third foul, but the Pacers failed to take advantage. Stoudemire, the NBA's No. 2 scorer, had three points on 1-for-3 shooting at the break.

The Pacers surged ahead early in the third quarter. A power dunk in traffic by Hansbrough ignited the crowd, then Granger hit a 3-pointer and Collison scored on a fast-break layup to push Indiana's lead to 76-66 midway through the period.

After a Knicks timeout, Hansbrough continued his onslaught. He scored another bucket, then converted a three-point play to make it 81-68. He finished with 15 points in the quarter.

New York closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to cut Indiana's lead to 87-82 at the end of the period.

NOTES: Williams, a former Pacer, started for New York. He was booed during pregame introductions. Williams had several brushes with the law before the Pacers traded him. He finished with 10 points and six rebounds. ... Indiana shot 57 percent in the first quarter to lead 29-27. ... Indiana G Lance Stephenson, who had become a part of the rotation briefly after Indiana fired coach Jim O'Brien, did not play for the third straight game.

[Associated Press]

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