With 7.8 ticks remaining in the fourth quarter and the score knotted at 117 after a too-easy Carmelo Anthony(notes) layup, the New York Knicks rolled out their customary “switch all screens” final frame man-to-man defense, allowing Indiana Pacers star swingman Danny Granger(notes) to go one-on-one with Knicks reserve forward Shawne Williams(notes) in a “hit it and go home/lose it and go to overtime” situation.

The result? Everybody in Indiana made curfew.

The Knicks had a chance to tie or win with 0.3 seconds remaining, attempting a lob to the rim rather than a Trent Tucker rule prayer. The ill-designed alley-oop was doomed from the start, though, and Indy held on for the 119-117 home victory on Tuesday night.

As Brett Pollakoff noted at Pro Basketball Talk, that final possession didn’t exactly cover either team in glory. While Indy put the game in the hands of its best scorer, it did so with an unimaginative isolation call leading to a mid-range jumper by a player who’s shot 32.7 percent, 25 percent, 39.6 percent and 28.3 percent in “clutch” situations over the past four seasons. And while Granger certainly deserves credit for making the shot after creating a clean look with the step-back, the Knicks certainly didn’t make life too difficult on him, eschewing ball denial and double-teaming in favor of sticking with a single-up-and-switch blueprint that makes creating quickness mismatches like Granger-on-Williams a heck of a lot easier.

Granger’s sure shot — his second career last-second, game-winning bucket for the Pacers, according to Mike Wells at the Indianapolis Star — gave Indy its second win over the Knicks in three nights. It also put Frank Vogel’s team a half-game up on the idle Charlotte Bobcats in the race for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot; the two teams will square off in Charlotte next Wednesday.

As for the Knicks?

They’re now 34-32 on the season, and 6-6 since the deal that imported Carmelo with four losses to the Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets sport an 8-2 mark since the trade. Mike D’Antoni believes in yesterday, but isn’t sure about tomorrow. Oh, and despite believing there’s a bullseye on their collective back (which is weird for a six seed), the team is starting to look scarily like one that will make an early-round playoff exit (NOTE: they were always going to!). Plus, the New York front line has single-handedly launched the Tyler Hansbrough(notes) for Most Improved Player Movement, giving up consecutive career-best performances to the former North Carolina standout. And on multiple occasions last night, Darren Collison(notes) made Chauncey Billups(notes) look like he was 57 years old.

Outside of that, though, everything’s cream cheese.

Luckily for the Knicks, New York fans (and media types, especially) are notoriously patient and measured in their responses to stuff like this, so they’ll have plenty of time to figure it all out. No pressure.

International readers (“Int’l read’rs”): If the clip above isn’t rocking for you, please feel free to peruse the game-winner elsewhere, thanks to our man @Jose3030.

Related: Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough, Shawne Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Danny Granger, Chauncey Billups, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Video

Read More: Danny Granger (F – IND), Shawne Williams (F – NYK), Tyler Hansbrough (F – IND), Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers, Mar 15, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

Tyler Hansbrough stole the (heavy) spotlight from the star-studded New York Knicks as he scored 30 points for the Indiana Pacers en route to a 119-117 victory. Hansbrough has been playing like an All-Star of late, and shot 12-17 against Shawne Williams and others. But it was teammate Danny Granger who had the final word.

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni opted to play Amar’e Stoudemire at center against Indiana after the Pacers knocked off the Knicks last week, benching the awful Jared Jeffries. It didn’t work. Roy Hibbert (Stoudemire’s man) broke off 15 points, 12 rebounds (six on offense) and a couple blocks. Hansbrough shredded Williams, and Granger (26 points, 10-20 shooting) went nuts on Carmelo Anthony. But it was Williams who tried to defend Granger on the final play of the game.

Anthony and Stoudemire did well on offense too, scoring 29 and 21 respectively. But New York shouldn’t be in close games with teams like the Pacers; Indiana is No. 24 in the NBA in offense at 1.045 points per possession, but has scored 1.16 and 1.17 in the two games against the Knicks this week. The Knicks were bad on defense before trading for Anthony, and appear to have gotten worse. Meanwhile, the offense hasn’t played well enough to overcome that. These are not the D’Antoni Suns.

The Pacers maintain their hold on the No. 8 seed in the East. The Knicks are only a half-game ahead of the 76ers for No. 6.

Granger is now 1-for-2 this season on field goal attempts with 10 or fewer seconds remaining and his team tied or trailing by three or fewer points.

In fact, this marked the first time in four such attempts that a Pacer player made a field goal in that situation this season (Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert are each 0-for-1).

Granger would not have had the opportunity if not for Carmelo Anthony, who tied the game on a layup with less than eight seconds remaining.

Anthony is now 5-for-7 this season on field goal attempts with 10 or fewer seconds remaining and his team tied or trailing by three or fewer points, including 2-for-2 since joining the Knicks.

A developing story from the home-and-home series between these teams was the emergence of Tyler Hansbrough, who scored a career-high 30 points. This coming just two nights after scoring a then career-best 29 points against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Hansbrough, no stranger to big games in the month of March from his days at North Carolina, has seen his scoring jump to over 20 points per game this month while shooting over 50 percent from the field.

Of most importance to the Pacers, though, is the fact that the win moves Indiana a half-game ahead of the Charlotte Bobcats for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers also hold the edge in the season series with the Bobcats, 3-0.

As for the Knicks, the loss drops them to 1-4 against opponents with sub-.500 records since trading for Carmelo Anthony, with all four losses coming to the Cavaliers and Pacers. New York is 5-2 against opponents with a record .500 or better since the trade.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

” A win over the Washington Wizards moved the Chicago Bulls a half-game ahead of the Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. Our friends at Elias tell us that this is the first time the Bulls have been in first place in the conference this late in the season since the 1997-98 campaign, Michael Jordan’s last season with the Bulls and Chicago’s last championship season.

” JaVale McGee of the Wizards recorded the first triple-double comprised of points, rebounds and blocks since Dwight Howard did so in November of 2008. McGee finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocks. The 12 blocks were the most in a game since Keon Clark (12) in March 2001, and the most in a triple-double since Shawn Bradley had 13 blocks to go along with 22 points and 22 rebounds in April 1998.

” The Dallas Mavericks shot 59.7 percent from the field in their loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. That marked the highest field goal percentage by any team in a loss this season, and according to Elias it was the third-highest field goal percentage in a loss in Mavericks franchise history.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers didn’t need Danny Granger’s help to beat the New York Knicks on Sunday.

They wouldn’t have won the rematch without him.

Granger, who missed the win at New York with strep throat, hit the game-winning jumper with 0.3 seconds left and scored 26 points in Indiana’s 119-117 victory 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.

Williams, a former Pacer who guarded Granger many times in practice, anticipated Granger’s first move.

“I tried to jump on his right hand, but he gave me a move,” he said. “You just got to get into him and make that shot more difficult than it was. I feel like he got too good of a look at the basket. He’s going to make those eight times of out 10.”

Indiana coach Frank Vogel’s game plan was simple.

“We wanted to get the last shot and we wanted Danny to take it,” he said. “That’s all the details were. Get the ball to your best player and, as time expires, get a shot off.”

Time didn’t quite expire, but New York couldn’t connect on a lob attempt as time ran out.

The Pacers were in position to win in part because Tyler Hansbrough scored a career-high 30 points. He set a career high with 29 points on Sunday.

“I love New York, but I just happen to play good against them,” Hansbrough said.

Carmelo Anthony was at a loss to explain how the Knicks let a player who averages 10 points explode for 59 points on 65 percent shooting in two games.

“We all know what he was capable of doing,” said Anthony, who led the Knicks with 29 points. “I don’t think we made adjustments to him at the top of the key. Especially after the game he had in the Garden, I would think we would make some adjustments after that. He’s played great these last two games.”

Darren Collison added 24 points and nine assists for the Pacers, who had lost six straight before the back-to-back wins over the Knicks.

“We had a rough stretch that, we all understand that we went through a tough time,” Vogel said. “We’re on our way back to being ourselves.”

Amar’e Stoudemire had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks. Toney Douglas and Landry Fields each added 17 points 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.

“They made some big shots, but we came right back and made some big shots,” he said.

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.

Indiana surrendered its lead in the fourth before rallying.

“Our execution down the stretch, in particular late in the fourth quarter, was terrific, and that’s what wins ballgames for you,” Vogel said.

The loss left the Knicks searching for answers.

“It feels bad,” Williams said. “We know we got to get it going, some kind of way. I feel like we all got to take a good look in the mirror and redefine ourselves. We got to take more pride in defense.”

Notes

• Williams 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.

INDIANAPOLIS, March 15 (UPI) — Danny Granger drained a game-winning jump shot in the final second Tuesday, boosting the Indiana Pacers to a 119-117 victory over New York.

Granger shook off Shawne Williams and nailed a 17-footer with 0.3 seconds left, enabling the Pacers to break a six-game losing streak. The decisive shot came 7 seconds after Carmelo Anthony had tied the score 117-117 with a clutch layup.

Tyler Hansbrough pumped in a career-high 30 points, Granger netted 26 and Darren Collison contributed 24 for Indiana.

Anthony ended up with 29 points and nine rebounds and Amare Stoudemire provided 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks.

INDIANAPOLIS — Forward Danny Granger is back in the Indiana Pacers’ lineup after missing a game with strep throat.

The Pacers beat the Knicks 106-93 in New York on Sunday without Granger, the team’s leader with 20.6 points per game. Tyler Hansbrough stepped in with a career-high 29 points.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before Tuesday’s game against New York that Granger looked and felt great. Indiana enters tied with Charlotte for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Sunday’s game was only the second game Granger missed this season.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Forward Danny Granger(notes) is back in the Indiana Pacers’ lineup after missing a game with strep throat.

The Pacers beat the Knicks 106-93 in New York on Sunday without Granger, the team’s leader with 20.6 points per game. Tyler Hansbrough(notes) stepped in with a career-high 29 points.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel said before Tuesday’s game against New York that Granger looked and felt great. Indiana enters tied with Charlotte for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Sunday’s game was only the second game Granger missed this season.

(Sports Network) – The New York Knicks will try to salvage the back end of a home-and-home set with the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse Tuesday.

The Pacers took the front end in Madison Square Garden on Sunday when Tyler Hansbrough scored a career-high 29 points with eight rebounds as Indiana got back in the win column with a 106-93 victory over the Knicks.

Dahntay Jones had 18 points while Darren Collison notched 16 points and eight assists for the Pacers, who halted an ugly six-game slide despite the absence of leading scorer Danny Granger, who was out with flu-like symptoms. Roy Hibbert chipped in 12 points and eight boards in the win.

“They’re a playoff team, so it’s good to get that win against a quality opponent and hopefully we can come back on Tuesday and have the same energy,” said Hansbrough.

Amare Stoudemire provided 28 points and six boards as the Knicks fell for the second time in three days. Carmelo Anthony added 25 points in the loss and New York shot just 36.6 percent from the field.

Chauncey Billups returned to the lineup after missing six games with a bruised left thigh, but was just 4-of-14 from the field and finished with nine points.

“It was a little stagnant out there offensively,” said Stoudemire. “We didn’t quite get into a great rhythm and defensively we didn’t play with the energy we needed. As a result, we lost.”

The Knicks currently hold the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, one game ahead of Philadelphia, and are now 6-5 since making the blockbuster trade for Anthony and Billups. Indiana, meanwhile, is deadlocked with Charlotte for the eighth and final spot with 16 games left in the regular season.

Granger remains questionable for tonight’s game for the Pacers, who have won two of their past three games with New York.

The Sports Network

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks play the Pacers on Tuesday night, but Mike D’Antoni isn’t worried about Indiana.

He’s more concerned with his own team.

D’Antoni watched film of the Knicks’ 106-93 loss to the Pacers on Monday morning and labeled it a “horror show.”

“We just didn’t play well,” the Knicks coach said. “I don’t think we had the right energy and we got frustrated and when we do that we just kind of revert back to just trying to beat people up on the offensive end.”

That didn’t work against Indiana, which broke a six-game losing streak against the Knicks despite playing without its leading scorer in Danny Granger. Point guard Chauncey Billups struggled mightily in his first game back from a six-game absence due to a deep left thigh bruise. He finished 4-of-14 from the field including 0-of-7 from beyond the arc. Backup Toney Douglas, who played well in Billups’ absence, hit just one of his 12 attempts from the field on Sunday. In all, the Knicks shot 37 percent from the field.

“The ball didn’t flow and we didn’t move,” D’Antoni said, pointing out some of the same chemistry issues that have affected New York at times since Carmelo Anthony arrived.

The Knicks had just 11 assists and 15 turnovers on Sunday. D’Antoni said the team was frequently “standing around and watching” Billups against Indiana.

He also noted thought that neither Billups nor Douglas looked comfortable in their respective roles now that the 34-year-old veteran is back in the fold.

When asked how long he expected it to take Douglas and Billups to get acclimated again, D’Anonti said “it should be done. We can’t afford [to wait].”

He’s right. With just 17 games remaining in the regular season, the clock is ticking.

The Knicks are 6-5 since they swung a three-team, 13-player trade to land Anthony on Feb. 22. They’ve lost twice to 12-win Cleveland and once to Indiana, whom they play again on April 10.

“We keep taking these little steps backwards and that’s kind of frustrating but at the same time maybe it’s inevitable,” he said.

Any more steps backwards and the Knicks may stumble out of sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They are just a half-game ahead of seventh-place Philadelphia, which looked sluggish in a loss at Milwaukee on Saturday but should be fresh for its game against struggling Utah on Monday.

Looking ahead, seven of the Knicks’ final 17 opponents are below .500. Philadelphia has 16 games remaining, eight of which are against teams with sub-.500 records.

But D’Antoni isn’t worried about any of the Knicks upcoming games.

“It doesn’t matter. Right now we’re playing against the Knicks,” he said.

To D’Antoni, Sunday night’s debacle was an example of the “worst-case scenario” of what the Knicks’ two superstars — Anthony and Amare Stoudemire — can produce on offense. He felt Stoudemire, Anthony and others weren’t moving the ball enough, which is a staple of D’Antoni’s up-tempo attack.

“I just think when you’re tired, you revert to ‘Let me get the ball and let me put [my] head down to go,’” he said. “And you get some charges that way and get turnovers.”

Both Anthony and Stoudemire were whistled for two offensive fouls against Indy. They had eight of the Knicks’ 15 turnovers.

“Hopefully we can get that out of their games completely,” said D’Antoni, adding, “I told them at the end of 24 seconds, that’s when their super-stardom comes into play. You get them the ball and they’ll get you a shot. But before that we have to play as a team, move the ball, get to our spots.”

Didn’t happen on Sunday night.

Was it just a bump in the road as the new-look Knicks continue to get used to one another?

Or a legitimate stumbling block for a team that has shot a combined 39 percent during its recent two-game skid?

“Hopefully it just pops up every once in a while and maybe we can cure it,” he said. “But we have to find the team that played against Miami, Atlanta [and] Memphis, and [we] didn’t do it [Sunday] night.”

Ian Begley is a regular contributor to ESPNNewYork.com.

There’s a big fantasy story brewing with the recent performances of Tyler Hansbrough for the Indiana Pacers, and we’ll get to that in a moment, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t devote a few words to Kevin Love’s remarkable double-double streak which ended on Sunday night in Oakland.

After 53 straight games, Love failed to post the sacred combination of at least 10 points and 10 rebounds, and while it’s a little shocking that it happened against a Warriors squad that routinely gets shredded by power forwards, I want to give some perspective to how impressive Love has been this season. The streak may be over, but Love is still providing the most potent combination of scoring and rebounding since Moses Malone in the early ’80s.

With that out of the way, we can focus on Hansbrough. After torching the Knicks for 29 points on Sunday in a game that will probably put him on the map for good, he’s now averaging 22.6 points and 8.2 rebounds in his past five games. Just as impressive, his aggressive play and good hands have allowed him to rack up eight steals during that stretch as well. He’s been getting to the line a lot, too, which is great since he’s making 81 percent of his free throws this season.

Considering the Pacers tried (and failed) to trade away Josh McRoberts at the deadline, it looks like Hansbrough has the power forward gig all to himself for the time being, and it’s possible their win in New York is the beginning of a nice run for what is starting to look like a potent front line combination of Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert (five blocks against the Knicks). Amazingly, Hansbrough’s still available in most leagues, so you’ll want to pick him up while you still can.

Looking Back

The Celtics held the Bucks to 56 points on Sunday; their defense was so good that only one Milwaukee player reached double figures: Earl Barron, who had all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. I suppose this just serves as a reminder to anyone who thought the C’s defense would be softer without Kendrick Perkins. … Nenad Krstic followed up his 15-rebound performance on Friday night with 14 more on Sunday. He’s now averaging 15.0 points and 9.4 rebounds on 61 percent shooting in his past five games, and actually belongs in fantasy lineups until something changes. … Tyrus Thomas hasn’t looked great since returning to action for the Bobcats, but his three blocks in Sunday’s win against the Raptors are a good reason to get him back into your lineup if that’s a category in which you’re desperate. … If you need 3-pointers, by the way, you may want to peek at the Raptors’ Leandro Barbosa; he’s been unworthy of fantasy consideration all season, but he’s averaging 18.3 points, 2.0 3s and 1.0 steals in his past four games.

Looking Ahead

When the Heat faced the Spurs a little more than a week ago, it marked a nadir in the Heat’s season, as they were entirely handled by the Spurs and lost by 30. In particular, I think the Heat could be susceptible to a player like DeJuan Blair, who had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the previous meeting. On the Heat side, though, I’d expect a big game out of Chris Bosh, who had 14 rebounds last time and has been playing better of late. … J.R. Smith, as I’ve said many times, should always be in your lineup, but considering Arron Afflalo is listed as questionable for Monday’s game against the Hornets, Smith should definitely be in your lineup, even if you’re not as bullish on him as I am. … Al Jefferson followed up his atrocious performance for the Jazz against the Timberwolves on Friday night with 33 points and 18 rebounds in a loss to the Bulls on Saturday, so you can go ahead and expect his usual big numbers in the matchup with the 76ers on Monday night, even if Philly’s been playing great defense of late.

Seth Landman is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.

Read More: Tyler Hansbrough (F – IND), Dahntay Jones (G – IND), Darren Collison (G – IND), Danny Granger (F – IND), Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks

New York, NY (Sports Network) – Tyler Hansbrough scored a career-high 29 points as the stumbling Indiana Pacers got back in the win column with a 106-93 victory over the New York Knicks.

Hansbrough also had eight rebounds as the two teams will round out the home- and-home series on Tuesday in Indianapolis.

Dahntay Jones had 18 points while Darren Collison notched 16 points and eight assists for the Pacers, who halted a six-game losing streak despite leading scorer Danny Granger’s absence because of an illness. Roy Hibbert chipped in 12 points and eight boards in the win.

Amare Stoudemire provided 28 points and six caroms as the Knicks fell for the second time in three days. Carmelo Anthony added 25 points in the loss as New York shot 36.6 percent from the field.

Indiana started the second half scoring the first five points — all from Jones — to stay in front, 59-46. The Pacers kept separating themselves from the Knicks during the quarter, eventually growing a 20-point lead.

A 10-2 run got the Pacers there as Hansbrough netted five straight points and then Collison nailed two free throws for an 83-63 lead. New York, though, scored seven of the last eight points of the quarter to make it an 85-72 game heading into the fourth.

The Knicks continued their bid at a comeback, narrowing the deficit to 87-77 on Stoudemire’s two free throws early in the fourth. But Indiana responded with a Jones jumper and Hansbrough’s hook shot to keep a comfortable distance.

New York never trimmed the deficit under double digits the rest of the way out.

The Pacers grabbed a 29-21 lead after 12 minutes of play and extended the margin to 13 during the opening minutes of the second quarter. Josh McRoberts’ two free throws put the Indiana up 36-23.

Indiana kept the lead and went into the break up 54-46.

The Knicks are 18-14 as host this season…New York won the rebounding battle, 44-33…The Pacers shot 57.1 percent from the field and also went 5-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc…Both teams had 15 turnovers.

Read More: Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks, Mar 13, 2011 6:00 PM EDT

The Knicks got back Chauncey BIllups and were taking on a team that was eleven games under .500, had lost six in a row, and was missing its best player. So what would they do? On a night where the Knicks put forth one of their worst efforts of the season, the shorthanded Indiana Pacers walked out of Madison Square Garden with a 13 point victory, knocking off the Knicks 106-93. The Knicks fell to 34-31 while the Pacers improved to 28-38.

As mentioned earlier, the Knicks got back Billups, who had missed the past six games with a thigh injury. But Billups appeared rusty, scoring just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting, and only dished out four assists. As a team, the Knicks registered just 11 assists on the night. Amare Stoudemire scored 28 points, and Carmelo Anthony scored 25, but Anthony was a -19 on the night. The Knicks made just 36 percent of their field goals, a horrendously low number.

Meanwhile, the Pacers scored at will, hitting 57 percent of their field goal attempts. On Selection Sunday, it was appropriate that one of the best college basketball players of the past decade would have a career night, as Tyler Hansbrough scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Another college superstar, Dahntay Jones, scored 18 points in while leading scorer Danny Granger was sidelined with the flu.

The good news for the Knicks is that they get a chance to erase this win, as the two teams will meet in a rematch on Tuesday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Tyler Hansbrough knows he has doubters, his old coach perhaps among them.

He’s getting a chance now, and the Indiana Pacers hope his hard work can get them into the playoffs.

“I don’t know if he’s trying to prove anything, I just think he has a motor that is really unparalleled in this league,” interim coach Frank Vogel said. “Nobody goes harder than that kid. Nobody in the league plays harder than Tyler Hansbrough.”

Hansbrough scored a career-high 29 points, Dahntay Jones added 18 in place of leading scorer Danny Granger, and the Pacers snapped a six-game losing streak with a 106-93 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

Though a former college player of the year during a decorated career at North Carolina, Hansbrough was expected to be a late first-round pick because of doubts over how he could transition to the NBA. The Pacers took him 13th in the 2009 draft, but he sat out much of his rookie season after a summer shin injury, and coach Jim O’Brien wasn’t giving the forward heavy minutes this season before he was fired in January.

Vogel has made Hansbrough a starter and he’s responded with four straight games of 20 or more points.

“I got a chip on my shoulder,” Hansbrough said. “A lot of people don’t feel like I deserve to be in the league, the coach didn’t play me in the past because I don’t know why, so I come in the gym every day, try to get a little better and prove a point.”

Darren Collison added 16 points for the Pacers, who were in control all night and moved back into a tie with Charlotte for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Roy Hibbert had 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

Hibbert bottled up Amare Stoudemire a number of times on drives to the basket and Jones did solid job defending and frustrating Carmelo Anthony in the opener of a home-and-home series.

“Our goal was to not let them try to get a run and it worked tonight, so we have to face this beast again and hopefully we can try to do some of the same things,” Jones said.

Stoudemire scored 28 points for the Knicks, who lost their second straight. Anthony added 25 but shot just 9 for 22.

“The rhythm’s not there. I don’t know if it’s the attention to details, the energy, but it just wasn’t right. We were off-kilter in our offense,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Defensively, it looked like we wanted to try to do it, almost like when you’re in quicksand, they start kicking and they go down faster. They just weren’t solid with anything.”

New York had Chauncey Billups back in the lineup after he missed six games with a bruised left thigh, but both he and the Knicks’ offense were a step slow. He had nine points and shot 4 of 14, while reserve Toney Douglas, who played well starting in Billups’ place, missed his first nine shots and finished with three points on 1-of-12 shooting.

Despite the Pacers’ skid, Vogel said before the game he was “encouraged” by how hard his players had been working, saying he believed the worst was behind them. The Pacers rewarded his confidence, dominating the game on both ends despite missing the 20.6 points per game from Granger, who had the flu. Indiana shot 57 percent and held New York to 37 percent.

The Pacers will go for the home-and-home sweep Tuesday against the Knicks, who have started to believe they can finish fifth in the East. But the way they performed Sunday, they should be more concerned with holding off Philadelphia to avoid falling into seventh.

“The luxury about the NBA is that we get a chance to come back Tuesday and play the same team. I know in my mind I’m going to be thinking about this game and this loss tonight,” Anthony said. “I just want my whole team to be on the same page with me when we step on that court Tuesday.”

Madison Square Garden was at its energetic best while the Knicks were out of town this week during Connecticut’s historic run through the Big East tournament. The Knicks sleepwalked through their return home, taking the buzz right out of the building and even hearing boos during a lopsided third quarter and again at the end.

“I think that we were a little stagnant out there offensively, didn’t quite get into a great rhythm and defensively we didn’t play well, we didn’t play with the energy we needed, and so as a result we lost,” Stoudemire said.

Indiana led by eight at halftime, then got 13 points in the third from Hansbrough while extending the lead to 20. The Pacers were 9 of 14 in the period — Hansbrough made 5 of 6 — and held the Knicks to 30 percent shooting. Making matters worse for New York, Anthony and Stoudemire both had to go to the bench with their fourth fouls during the period.

The Knicks never trimmed the deficit below double-digits in the fourth quarter.

Indiana raced to an early eight-point lead before New York answered with a flurry, taking its first lead when Billups grabbed a rebound, flung a long outlet pass with his left hand to Anthony, who made the basket and was fouled. His free throw made it 17-16, but Indiana quickly recovered and led 29-21 after one, shooting 59 percent.

The Pacers led by as much as 13 in the half, outshooting the Knicks 60.5 percent to 39.5 percent and taking a 54-46 advantage to the locker room.

Notes: Pacers G A.J. Price, who played at UConn, was at MSG on Saturday to watch former teammate Kemba Walker lead the Huskies to the Big East tournament championship. … It was the Knicks’ first home game since announcing that season ticket prices would increase an average of 49 percent next season.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Indiana Pacers shocked the New York Knicks with a convincing 106-93 victory on Sunday, snapping a six-game losing streak despite playing without leading scorer Danny Granger.

With Chauncey Billups back in the lineup after missing six games with a bruised thigh, the Knicks looked to extend their recent inspired play but Indiana built a 20-point lead in the third quarter before handing New York a second straight loss.

Tyler Hansbrough scored a game-high 29 points in place of Granger, who missed the game with an illness, and the Pacers kept pace in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race.

Indiana (28-38) is tied with the Charlotte Bobcats for the eighth and final post-season spot in the East.

Amar’e Stoudemire had 28 points and Carmelo Anthony added 25 for the Knicks (34-31) who fell to 6-5 since trading for Anthony and Billups last month.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)