Anthony, Knicks Top Pacers For 7th Straight Win
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, making the go-ahead jumper with 4.9 seconds left and blocking a potential winning attempt, helping the New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 110-109 on Sunday night for their seventh straight win.
Chauncey Billups had 21 points and seven assists, and Toney Douglas scored 14 for the Knicks (42-38), who moved a game ahead of idle Philadelphia for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Coach Mike D'Antoni said he could return Tuesday against Chicago.
Danny Granger had 20 points and Roy Hibbert added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana (37-44). The Pacers are locked into the No. 8 seed and will play Chicago in the opening round of the playoffs.
New York, which trailed by 11 early in the fourth quarter, used a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 98-97. Granger's 3-pointer and Josh McRoberts' runner stopped the spurt and helped Indiana regain the momentum.
The Pacers extended their advantage to 109-103 with 3:31 left, but the Knicks scored the next five points, including Landry Fields' dunk with 39 seconds left, to get within 109-108.
After Darren Collison missed a jumper on the Pacers' ensuing possession, the Knicks got the ball back with 13 seconds remaining. Anthony got the ball, made a couple moves and fired a 19-footer over Granger's outstretched hand.
Granger tried to give Indiana the win with time running out, but Anthony got a piece of his jumper. Collison caught the ball in the air and missed a shot of his own. Mike Dunleavy missed a tip at the buzzer, although it may have been too late, anyway.
The Pacers, who trailed by six at halftime, outscored New York 35-20 in the third quarter to open a nine-point lead. Hibbert's jumper gave Indiana a 93-87 advantage and A.J. Price's 3-pointer at the buzzer made it 96-87.
Notes: Knicks president Donnie Walsh made his first road trip of the season beyond Newark for the game. He had hip replacement surgery in November, limiting his travel to two games at New Jersey. Walsh, the former Pacers president whose contract is not guaranteed for next season with the Knicks, denied speculation that he could return to the Pacers. "I'm angry about that," Walsh said Sunday. "There's absolutely no truth to it. I never talked to (Pacers owner) Herb Simon or anybody else about it." Walsh still has a home in the Indianapolis area. Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough is averaging 24.3 points in three games against New York this season. He set career highs 29 and 30 points in a three-day span against the Knicks in March. Hansbrough did not play in the teams' first game in January because of a coach's decision.
