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 The Pacers scored a combined 67 points during the second and
third quarters Thursday night on their way to a 103-82 victory
against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers (17-31) made 14 of 23 field-goal tries in the second
quarter and 15 of 23 in the third, including 5 of 7 from 3-point
range, outscoring New York by 35 during that 24-minute window.
Indiana's 21-point margin of victory is its largest this season in
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and the Pacers' 53.2 shooting percentage
(42 of 79) is their best through 48 games.
"This game was about getting stops," said Pacers forward Solomon
Hill, who helped limit All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to 7-of-16
shooting. "Then, we were taking good shots on our end. They got in a
rhythm early on, but then we stayed with it. Our persistence paid
off, and we got the W."
Guard Rodney Stuckey led Indiana with 22 points while center Roy
Hibbert added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Anthony had 18 and forward
Lou Amundson added 17 for the Knicks (9-38), who are an NBA-worst
3-21 on the road.
 "We were much more aggressive to begin the second half," said
Hibbert, who contributed 10 points and six rebounds in Indiana's big
third quarter. "At this point, every game is a big game for us as we
try to get into the playoffs."
The Pacers blew this one wide open by sinking 10 of their first 11
third-quarter field goal attempts, including five field goals from
Hibbert, extending a five-point halftime lead to 76-56 with 6:36
remaining in the period.
Consecutive 3-pointers from guard C.J. Watson and Stuckey and then
another Stuckey field goal created the 20-point lead just 5:24 into
the second half.
Indiana continued to dominate, getting a pair of 3-pointers from
Solomon Hill on its way to an 84-59 advantage at the 3:50 mark. By
quarter's end, the Pacers enjoyed an 89-61 lead.
Coach Frank Vogel liked the way the Pacers defended New York's
triangle offense.
"We defended the triangle well, especially seeing it for the first
time for some of our guys," Vogel said. "Really, it simply was a
matter of good execution on both ends of the court. I thought Lavoy
Allen did a nice job on the glass while he was in there."
Vogel also credited the Pacers' 50 points in the paint as a factor
in pulling away.
"We know (the Knicks) are a little thin up front, and they are a
team that also likes to guard the post straight up," Vogel said. "We
had an advantage going inside, and Roy got into a rhythm. We also
made some 3-point shots, which helped open that up."
Indiana outrebounded New York, 49-33.
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"We couldn't sustain the energy and the effort necessary to
compete," New York coach Derek Fisher said, "Their size started to
wear us down a little bit, and we missed not having a couple of
bodies in the paint tonight. They had more juice than us tonight,
and they were the better team.
"In the second quarter when the game turned, we couldn't get the
separation we had initially. They have a lot of size up front, and
that caused some problems."
Amundson said the game simply got away from the Knicks in the third
quarter.
"It was bad," Amundson said. "They came out and hit shots and got a
lot of confidence. It seemed like they came out with more effort and
with more energy. Defensively, they had their way with us."
Indiana used a 32-point second quarter to seize a 54-49 halftime
lead, charging back from a 29-22 deficit through the first 12
minutes when the Knicks made 10 of their first 13 field goal
attempts.
The Pacers got a big boost from their non-starters, who outscored
the New York bench 23-7 during the first two quarters, including
eight points and five rebounds from Allen. Allen, however, suffered
a slight right knee injury late in first half action and did not
return.
Stuckey's 11 points paced Indiana during the opening half, while
Anthony had 16 and Amundson scored 14 to lead the Knicks' opening
half scoring.
Each team shot well in the first two quarters. Indiana was 21 of 40
for 52.5 percent, and New York was 20 of 39 for 51.3 percent. The
Pacers dominated the rebounding category during first half play,
25-17.
NOTES: The Knicks were without F/C Amare Stoudemire (sprained left
ankle), F Travis Wear (strained left hip), C Cole Aldrich (confused
left shin) and F/C Andrea Bargnani (strained right calf) on Thursday
night. ... The Pacers assigned 6-foot-11 rookie C Shayne Whittington
to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. He has
played in 13 games for the Pacers, averaging 2.0 points and 1.2
rebounds after signing in July as an undrafted free agent out of
Western Michigan. ... G George Hill was in the original starting
lineup for the Pacers but was replaced by F Solomon Hill. Hill
played 12 minutes and scored eight points.
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