NEW YORK – 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 has 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 moved back into a tie with Charlotte for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Roy Hibbert had 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots.

CELTICS 87, BUCKS 56: In Boston, Ray Allen scored 17 points in just three quarters as the Celtics set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in the shot clock era.

It was the lowest score against the Celtics since they beat the Milwaukee Hawks 62-57 at Providence, R.I., on Feb. 27, 1955.

The Celtics held the Bucks to just 38 points through three quarters.

MAGIC 111, SUNS 88: Dwight Howard had 26 points and 15 rebounds, then watched the fourth quarter from the bench as Orlando earned its first victory in Phoenix in nine seasons.

Aaron Brooks, starting in place of injured Steve Nash, had 19 points and 10 assists, but the Suns were blown out at home for the second game in a row.

THUNDER 95, CAVALIERS 75: In Cleveland, Russell Westbrook scored 12 straight during a 5-minute stretch of the third quarter to awaken his listless Oklahoma City teammates.

Westbrook scored 14 of his 20 points in the third, helping the Thunder open a 20-point cushion. Kevin Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, added 19 points.

Daniel Gibson had 13 points and J.J. Hickson pulled down 15 rebounds for Cleveland.

BOBCATS 95, RAPTORS 90: D.J. Augustin scored 23 points and Gerald Henderson had 18 to help Charlotte snap a five-game road losing streak with a win in Toronto.

Andrea Bargnani had 17 points and Leandro Barbosa added 15 for Toronto, which has lost 11 of 15 and 24 of 29.

Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks shoots against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 7, 2011. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The New York Knicks have multiple issues they’ll need to fix if they want to avoid being swept in a home-and-home series by the Indiana Pacers.

In addition to getting on track offensively, the Knicks need to figure out a way to slow down Tyler Hansbrough as they visit Indiana on Tuesday night.

New York was out of sync at the offensive end in a 106-93 loss to Indiana at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The Knicks (34-31) shot 36.6 per cent and trailed by as many as 20 in suffering their second straight defeat following a three-game winning streak. Indiana prevailed despite playing without leading scorer Danny Granger, who was out with the flu.

“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,” forward Carmelo Anthony said. “I just want my whole team to be on the same page with me when we step on that court Tuesday.”

Amare Stoudemire led the Knicks with 28 points. Anthony scored 25 but shot 9 of 22. “The rhythm’s not there,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “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 offence.”

Anthony struggled with his shooting for the second straight game. The four-time All-Star has totalled 43 points and made 37.8 per cent from the field in his last two games after scoring 65 points and shooting 60.0 per cent over the previous two.

New York, battling Philadelphia for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, is 6-5 since trading for Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Billups returned to the lineup Sunday after missing six games with a bruised left thigh, but missed 10 of 14 shots and finished with nine points.

With their point guard and offence out of rhythm, the up-tempo Knicks didn’t reach the 100-point mark for just the third time in 13 games. New York, second in the league with 106.4 points per game, are 6-16 when they fail to hit 100.

“Our goal was to not let them try to get a run and it worked, so we have to face this beast again and hopefully we can try to do some of the same things,” said Indiana’s Dahntay Jones, who had 18 points and did a solid job defending Anthony.

While the Pacers clamped down on the Knicks defensively, Hansbrough carried Indiana at the offensive end.

The forward scored a career-high 29 points to help Indiana (28-38) snap a six-game skid and remain tied with Charlotte for the East’s final playoff spot.

Hansbrough has emerged as a major scoring threat in interim coach Frank Vogel’s system after being an afterthought under former coach Jim O’Brien.

Hansbrough has started three straight games and has reached the 20-point mark in his last four. The former North Carolina star has scored 18.4 points in his last nine contests – 10.0 more than averaged in his first 45.

“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,” Vogel said. “Nobody goes harder than that kid.”

Hansbrough may get some help up front in the rematch if Granger is able to play.

Granger, who averages a team-best 20.6 points, missed his second game of the season Sunday. He had 25 points and a career-best 17 rebounds in the first meeting of the season with the Knicks, a 98-92 loss at MSG on Jan. 2.

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.

The Memphis Grizzlies had agreed in principle to trade guard O.J. Mayo to the Indiana Pacers for forward Josh McRoberts and a 2011 first-round pick, league sources said Thursday, but the deal fell apart.

Minutes before the league’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, multiple sources told ESPN.com that a deal had been struck. But shortly after the deadline passed, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley expressed concern that Memphis and Indiana might have missed the deadline to submit the transaction to the league, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.

An hour after the deadline, one source told ESPN.com that the two teams failed to finalize the deal before 3 p.m., while another source said the Grizzlies pulled out of the agreement before the league trade call could make it official.

“Indiana was not able to get it all together,” Heisley said in a post-deadline interview with NBA.com. “People are going to say I have reservations [about the proposed trade]. I think from our point of view, we were interested in the trade going forward. It was a very, very difficult conversation for us.

“It took us a long time to decide. We were getting a lot of players at the two and three position and we were getting a little skinny at the four. We had three candidates we were looking at and when we decided on one, O.J. had to be part of that trade. It wasn’t that we were anxious to get rid of him.”

Heisley insisted the deal had nothing to do with Mayo, but rather the logjam the Grizzlies have in their backcourt, which also includes Tony Allen, Sam Young, Rudy Gay, Xavier Henry and Shane Battier, who the Grizzlies acquired at Thursday’s deadline.

“People call up for O.J. all the time,” Heisley told NBA.com. “We received a number of calls on O.J. What I would say to O.J. is there are a lot of people — including us — who think you’re a good player. It’s not that we’re down on O.J., it’s just that we’ve got a lot of players who’ve blossomed in recent time. It’s not that they’ve beaten O.J. out, but we’ve just got a lot of players vying for limited minutes.”

The Pacers had been looking for a proven scorer at the two-spot for weeks, and their search intensified in the past week when Mike Dunleavy broke his finger.

Mayo was the third pick in the 2008 draft, in which the Grizzlies traded the rights to Kevin Love to acquire Mayo on draft day. While Mayo got off to a strong start for Memphis, he’s struggled this year and was recently removed from the starting lineup.

Mayo also has had off-court troubles this season. He received a 10-game suspension in late January for violating the NBA’s drug policy, saying later he believed an “energy drink” he bought at a gas station contained the substance (dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA) that led to his positive test. Weeks before his suspension, Mayo and Allen fought on a team flight over an unpaid debt from a card game.

Information from ESPN’s NBA Insider Chad Ford was used in this report.

With a shrug and a smile, LeBron James put the NBA on notice.

It happened Tuesday night, in his televised on-court interview after his latest colossal game: 41 points, a season-high-tying 13 rebounds, eight assists, three steals in a 117-112 victory for the Miami Heat over the Indiana Pacers.

James confirmed what his play of late has been revealing — that the acclimation process to his new surroundings might be over.

“I’m in my zone, in a comfort zone where I’ve been the last two years,” James told Sun Sports as the arena emptied, the sweat still falling off his head. “It took me a little while to get here, but I’m very comfortable with this team. I’m very comfortable with the sets, offensively and defensively.

“And I’m back to playing LeBron James basketball.”

For the past two years, when he was leading the Cleveland Cavaliers, that’s meant MVP basketball.

It may mean the same again.

The NBA’s two-time reigning MVP is the league’s leading scorer since Jan. 1, averaging 30.6 points per game — even while teammate Dwyane Wade is scoring at a 26.6-point clip over that span, the third-best average since the calendar flipped to 2011.

James is on pace for a career-high in double-doubles. His 51 points in Orlando last week is the league’s single-game high this season. He’s averaging 29.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists in his last 20 games.

And to think, James said he doesn’t even start the process of getting postseason-sharp until after the All-Star break.

“LeBron did,” Pacers center Roy Hibbert marveled Tuesday night after James’ big night, “what LeBron does.”

That’s why the Heat wanted him so badly last summer, of course.

He’s the current Eastern Conference player of the week, which has become such a commonplace award for him — he’s won 30 in his career — that it goes largely unnoticed. The ankle and shin injuries he dealt with in the first half of the season may have been more problematic than anyone knew, considering that his explosiveness — or lack thereof at times — was a running joke among teammates.

Not anymore.

James had a season-high five dunks Tuesday night, including a spectacular one in the first quarter. Wade had a shot blocked by Indiana’s Josh McRoberts, but James swooped in, grabbed the rebound and dunked it with such force that the ball glanced off the left side of Wade’s face.

“I didn’t have that pep in my step, so he was trying to send me a message as well, get myself going,” Wade said.

James didn’t need any help getting going against the Pacers. He shot 15 of 23 from the floor, connecting on at least a 60-percent clip for the third time in his last seven games.

“He’s playing MVP basketball right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I don’t even think that’s debatable.”

James said weeks ago that with him playing alongside Wade and Chris Bosh, their MVP chances would plummet. One, there didn’t figure to be a way for any of them to collect enough gaudy statistics. Two, and the Heat know this, there’s still no shortage of resentment around the league about their decisions to play together — and the manners in which those decisions were announced.

The second point, there’s no getting around.

The first point, James and Wade are debunking that with ease.

“When you go into a summer and you have to make a decision on your future, you sit and think about what’s important to you,” Wade said. “Of course a lot of players love individual publicity and the light to be on them, but you’ve got to think about what’s more important.”

Miami came into Wednesday five games clear of Atlanta in the Southeast Division, 5½ ahead of Orlando. With some separation in the division race, the Heat are eyeing Boston for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

After beating the Pacers, the Heat closed that gap to a half-game — and they’ll be in Boston on Sunday. The Heat opened the season there in much-anticipated fashion way back in October, stumbling to an 88-80 defeat.

The Celtics have gotten better since.

So, too, have the Heat — and James says there’s no comparison between how Miami was then and how the Heat are clicking now.

“It was definitely an adjustment period for all of us, including myself, just changing locations,” James said. “Basically, it was the first time in my life I’ve lived somewhere else besides Akron, Ohio. … Now I’m comfortable, on and off the court, and it’s resulted in me playing some good basketball — and us playing some great basketball together.”

Coach Nate McMillan knew LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had the potential to be a dominant NBA player when the Portland Trail Blazers traded for him in a draft day deal in 2006. McMillan is pleased to see him living up to those expectations.

Aldridge and the Blazers try to win a season-high fifth straight Saturday night when they go for their fifth consecutive victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Now in his fifth season after the Blazers acquired the No. 2 pick from Chicago, Aldridge is the team’s No. 1 scoring option with Brandon Roy(notes) (knees) out indefinitely.

With Roy sidelined the last 18 games, Aldridge has averaged 25.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, increasing his career-high averages this season to 21.3 and 8.8 per game.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” McMillan told the Blazers’ official website after Aldridge had 28 points in Thursday’s 108-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I really have. I said this to LaMarcus when he was drafted … Most players coming into the league and they either play one or the other – you’re a good defender or a scorer. This is special because he can do both.”

Those skills could earn Aldridge his first All-Star game appearance. More importantly, his presence on the defensive end will be critical as the Blazers (24-20) will be without starting center Marcus Camby(notes) for the next few weeks after he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday.

Despite another season marred by injuries, Portland is eighth in the Western Conference and enters Saturday looking to win five in a row for the first time since March 9-19.

The Blazers, averaging 101.2 points while going 11-2 at the Rose Garden since the beginning of December, continue their five-game homestand against a Pacers team that has dropped 11 of 12 on the road.

Indiana (16-23) is halfway through a four-game trip and lost its third straight overall Wednesday, falling 110-108 to Golden State on Monta Ellis’(notes) last-second shot over Brandon Rush(notes).

The Pacers led by as many as 11 points but were done in by 20 turnovers.

“We can’t give up 27 points on turnovers if we want to win,” coach Jim O’Brien said. “… We did not execute that part of the game plan and that’s why we lost. Turnovers killed us and that is the bottom line.”

Indiana committed 18 turnovers in a 102-79 loss at Portland on March 3 in the teams’ last meeting as the Blazers completed a second straight season sweep of the Pacers.

Danny Granger(notes) was the only Indiana player to score in double figures in that matchup with 30 points, and he scored 32 for a second consecutive game Wednesday but also had a game-high seven turnovers.

Although the loss of Camby leaves a big hole in the middle of the Blazers’ defense, Indiana’s struggles on the defensive end could continue if center Roy Hibbert(notes) misses a second straight game with an upper respiratory infection.

The Pacers are among the best in the league in field-goal percentage defense (43.9), but their last two opponents have shot a combined 52.7 percent while averaging 112.0 points.

Indiana, which last dropped four in a row March 2-6, will try to avoid a fifth consecutive loss to Portland after winning the previous nine matchups.

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Updated Jan 7, 2011 11:34 PM ET

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

The San Antonio Spurs’ typically potent offense struggled at times against the Indiana Pacers. Their defense made up for it, though.

The Spurs held the Pacers to 1-for-15 shooting in the fourth quarter to win 90-87 and snap a two-game skid. Roy Hibbert had a chance to give the Pacers the lead in the closing seconds, but his hook shot fell short.

”We got the win,” Indianapolis native George Hill said. ”Our veterans stepped up when we needed to, and that’s all that matters.”

According to STATS Inc., Indiana’s one field goal in the fourth quarter was the fewest the Pacers have made in a quarter in at least 19 years. STATS’ records go back to the 1991-92 season.

”It’s never just great defense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ”They missed some shots also. Sometimes you don’t make shots. That was part of it. I thought our intensity level, our physicality, got better. I thought we had a good mix on the court that reacted well.”

Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Hill scored 16 points for the Spurs, who overcame a 15-point deficit to become the first team in the league to win 30 games.

The Spurs were unhappy with the way they played late in a 105-103 loss to Boston on Wednesday and were determined to play better against the Pacers.

”We lost the other night in Boston at the end of the third quarter and the end of the fourth quarter when we didn’t close,” Popovich said. ”We turned it over, we imploded defensively, didn’t execute on offense.”

Tyler Hansbrough had career highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds in his first start of the season for the Pacers.

”He almost took the game away from us,” Popovich said. ”We couldn’t find anybody to guard him. He ripped us up tonight.”

The Pacers have lost five of six.

”I’m very disappointed for our guys,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. ”We played a solid defensive game. For them to come back and beat us, it’s painful. They took their defense to a whole different level in the fourth quarter.”

Indiana led 87-83 in the fourth quarter when Hill scored and was fouled. He made the free throw to cut Indiana’s lead to 87-86 with 1:07 to play.

San Antonio rebounded a miss by Mike Dunleavy and took a timeout with 23.1 seconds remaining. Ginobili drove to the basket and was fouled by Jeff Foster with 15.7 seconds to play. He made both free throws to give the Spurs their first lead of the quarter.

After Hibbert’s miss, the Pacers were forced to foul. Tony Parker made two free throws with 0.8 seconds left to make it 90-87. Indiana’s James Posey missed a three-pointer from the left corner in his only action of the game as time expired.

”We had them down and led them up,” Indiana point guard Darren Collison said. ”We just can’t seem to find a way to close a game out. We have to keep working at that until we get it right.”

The Pacers led for most of the first half, but Ginobili scored eight straight points to turn a 44-40 deficit into a 48-44 lead for the Spurs. Granger made a three-pointer as time expired in the first half to trim San Antonio’s lead to 48-47 at the break.

Hansbrough hit back-to-back shots, then Granger drained a three to give the Pacers a 60-55 lead.

Indiana extended the lead through the rest of the quarter and began to play to the crowd. Dunleavy faked a behind-the-back pass, kept the ball and laid it in to give Indiana a 75-60 lead. Hansbrough had 12 points and six rebounds in the third quarter to help the Pacers take a 75-64 lead at the end of the period.

Gary Neal’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter cut Indiana’s lead to 75-69 and caused the Pacers to call timeout. Indiana didn’t make a field goal in the quarter until Dunleavy made a floater with 6:41 left, and the Pacers didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game.

”They just kept playing the game,” Popovich said of his Spurs. ”That’s a great sign. We’ve done that several times this year. That’s what a team really needs to sustain in this league. We’re fortunate to get that win tonight.”

NOTES: Hibbert went down holding his ankle in the first quarter, but got it retaped and returned later in the period. … Hansbrough scored Indiana’s first six points. … Granger didn’t score until 9:05 remained in the second quarter. … Indiana’s been held under 100 points for eight straight games.

INDIANAPOLIS — The San Antonio Spurs’ typically potent offense struggled at times against the Indiana Pacers. Their defense made up for it, though.

The Spurs held the Pacers to 1-for-15 shooting in the fourth quarter to win 90-87 and snap a two-game skid. Roy Hibbert had a chance to give the Pacers the lead in the closing seconds, but his hook shot fell short.

“We got the win,” San Antonio guard George Hill, an Indianapolis native, said. “Our veterans stepped up when we needed to, and that’s all that matters.”

According to STATS Inc., Indiana’s one field goal in the fourth quarter was the fewest the Pacers have made in a quarter in at least 19 years. STATS’ records go back to the 1991-92 season.

“It’s never just great defense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They missed some shots also. Sometimes you don’t make shots. That was part of it. I thought our intensity level, our physicality, got better. I thought we had a good mix on the court that reacted well.”

Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Hill scored 16 points for the Spurs, who overcame a 15-point deficit to become the first team in the league to win 30 games.

The Spurs were unhappy with the way they played late in a 105-103 loss to Boston on Wednesday and were determined to play better against the Pacers.

“We lost the other night in Boston at the end of the third quarter and the end of the fourth quarter when we didn’t close,” Popovich said. “We turned it over, we imploded defensively, didn’t execute on offense.”

Tyler Hansbrough had career highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds in his first start of the season for the Pacers.

“He almost took the game away from us,” Popovich said. “We couldn’t find anybody to guard him. He ripped us up tonight.”

The Pacers have lost five of six.

“I’m very disappointed for our guys,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “We played a solid defensive game. For them to come back and beat us, it’s painful. They took their defense to a whole different level in the fourth quarter.”

Indiana led 87-83 in the fourth quarter when Hill scored and was fouled. He made the free throw to cut Indiana’s lead to 87-86 with 1:07 to play.

San Antonio rebounded a miss by Mike Dunleavy and took a timeout with 23.1 seconds remaining. Ginobili drove to the basket and was fouled by Jeff Foster with 15.7 seconds to play. He made both free throws to give the Spurs their first lead of the quarter.

After Hibbert’s miss, the Pacers were forced to foul. Tony Parker made two free throws with 0.8 seconds left to make it 90-87. Indiana’s James Posey missed a 3-pointer from the left corner in his only action of the game as time expired.

“We had them down and led them up,” Indiana point guard Darren Collison said. “We just can’t seem to find a way to close a game out. We have to keep working at that until we get it right.”

The Pacers led for most of the first half, but Ginobili scored eight straight points to turn a 44-40 deficit into a 48-44 lead for the Spurs. Granger made a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to trim San Antonio’s lead to 48-47 at the break.

Hansbrough hit back-to-back shots, then Granger drained a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 60-55 lead.

Indiana extended the lead through the rest of the quarter and began to play to the crowd. Dunleavy faked a behind-the-back pass, kept the ball and laid it in to give Indiana a 75-60 lead. Hansbrough had 12 points and six rebounds in the third quarter to help the Pacers take a 75-64 lead at the end of the period.

Gary Neal’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter cut Indiana’s lead to 75-69 and caused the Pacers to call timeout. Indiana didn’t make a field goal in the quarter until Dunleavy made a floater with 6:41 left, and the Pacers didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game.

“They just kept playing the game,” Popovich said of his Spurs. “That’s a great sign. We’ve done that several times this year. That’s what a team really needs to sustain in this league. We’re fortunate to get that win tonight.”

Notes

• Hibbert went down holding his ankle in the first quarter, but got it retaped and returned later in the period.
• Hansbrough scored Indiana’s first six points.
• Granger didn’t score until 9:05 remained in the second quarter.
• Indiana has been held under 100 points for eight straight games.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs ‘ typically potent offense struggled at times against the Indiana Pacers . Their defense made up for it, though.

The Spurs held the Pacers to 1-for-15 shooting in the fourth quarter to win 90-87 and snap a two-game skid. Roy Hibbert had a chance to give the Pacers the lead in the closing seconds, but his hook shot fell short.

“We got the win,” San Antonio guard George Hill, an Indianapolis native, said. “Our veterans stepped up when we needed to, and that’s all that matters.”

According to STATS Inc., Indiana’s one field goal in the fourth quarter was the fewest the Pacers have made in a quarter in at least 19 years. STATS’ records go back to the 1991-92 season.

“It’s never just great defense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They missed some shots also. Sometimes you don’t make shots. That was part of it. I thought our intensity level, our physicality, got better. I thought we had a good mix on the court that reacted well.”

Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 15 points and 15 rebounds and Hill scored 16 points for the Spurs, who overcame a 15-point deficit to become the first team in the league to win 30 games.

The Spurs were unhappy with the way they played late in a 105-103 loss to Boston on Wednesday and were determined to play better against the Pacers.

“We lost the other night in Boston at the end of the third quarter and the end of the fourth quarter when we didn’t close,” Popovich said. “We turned it over, we imploded defensively, didn’t execute on offense.”

Tyler Hansbrough had career highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds in his first start of the season for the Pacers.

“He almost took the game away from us,” Popovich said. “We couldn’t find anybody to guard him. He ripped us up tonight.”

The Pacers have lost five of six.

“I’m very disappointed for our guys,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “We played a solid defensive game. For them to come back and beat us, it’s painful. They took their defense to a whole different level in the fourth quarter.”

Indiana led 87-83 in the fourth quarter when Hill scored and was fouled. He made the free throw to cut Indiana’s lead to 87-86 with 1:07 to play.

San Antonio rebounded a miss by Mike Dunleavy and took a timeout with 23.1 seconds remaining. Ginobili drove to the basket and was fouled by Jeff Foster with 15.7 seconds to play. He made both free throws to give the Spurs their first lead of the quarter.

After Hibbert’s miss, the Pacers were forced to foul. Tony Parker made two free throws with 0.8 seconds left to make it 90-87. Indiana’s James Posey missed a 3-pointer from the left corner in his only action of the game as time expired.

“We had them down and led them up,” Indiana point guard Darren Collison said. “We just can’t seem to find a way to close a game out. We have to keep working at that until we get it right.”

The Pacers led for most of the first half, but Ginobili scored eight straight points to turn a 44-40 deficit into a 48-44 lead for the Spurs. Granger made a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to trim San Antonio’s lead to 48-47 at the break.

Hansbrough hit back-to-back shots, then Granger drained a 3-pointer to give the Pacers a 60-55 lead.

Indiana extended the lead through the rest of the quarter and began to play to the crowd. Dunleavy faked a behind-the-back pass, kept the ball and laid it in to give Indiana a 75-60 lead. Hansbrough had 12 points and six rebounds in the third quarter to help the Pacers take a 75-64 lead at the end of the period.

Gary Neal’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter cut Indiana’s lead to 75-69 and caused the Pacers to call timeout. Indiana didn’t make a field goal in the quarter until Dunleavy made a floater with 6:41 left, and the Pacers didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game.

“They just kept playing the game,” Popovich said of his Spurs. “That’s a great sign. We’ve done that several times this year. That’s what a team really needs to sustain in this league. We’re fortunate to get that win tonight.”

NOTES: Hibbert went down holding his ankle in the first quarter, but got it retaped and returned later in the period. … Hansbrough scored Indiana’s first six points. … Granger didn’t score until 9:05 remained in the second quarter. … Indiana has been held under 100 points for eight straight games.

The New York Knicks have missed the playoffs the six previous seasons while the Indiana Pacers have endured a four-season drought. It’s highly possible that both those streaks will end this season.

These teams have showed plenty of improvement heading into their first meeting Sunday afternoon when the Knicks try to hand the Pacers an eighth straight road loss.

It was a decade ago when these franchises were postseason regulars, meeting three straight times in the playoffs from 1998-2000. Both are hoping to return to those days, and New York (18-14) enters play with the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference while Indiana (14-17) is seventh.

Neither club is entering this matchup at its best.

The Knicks have lost five of seven during a difficult stretch in which they have faced some of the league’s best teams. They are back home after falling 106-98 at Miami on Tuesday and 112-103 at Orlando on Thursday.

Amare Stoudemire(notes) finished with 30 points in both losses, but was limited to under 32 minutes Thursday due to foul trouble.

“I thought we were really feeding off each other,” Stoudemire said. “If I didn’t get in foul trouble, it would have been a different game for sure.”

Indiana has also faded a bit, losing seven of 10. The Pacers, though, ended a three-game slide with a 95-86 home victory over lowly Washington on Friday as Danny Granger(notes) and Darren Collison(notes) each scored 18 points.

“The NBA is a season of runs,” Granger said. “Teams that win seven, eight, nine in a row – 10 out of 12, or something like that – that’s when teams separate themselves.

“We just haven’t hit our stride yet. I think it’s coming.”

One reason the Pacers have improved is their defense. Indiana finished 13th in the NBA in opponents’ field-goal percentage at 45.3 percent in 2009-10, and is among the league leaders at 43.4 percent this season.

The Pacers limited the Wizards to 38.8 percent Friday.

“I’m pleased with our half-court defense,” coach Jim O’Brien said. “We talked about teams playing against our half-court defense without giving up cheap baskets. We’re making strides. We have a long way to go.”

Indiana is 5-0 at New York when Granger starts. These teams split four meetings last season, with Granger averaging 29.0 points in three games.

The Pacers and Knicks both got breakout performances from unlikely sources in their last games.

Rookie Paul George(notes) had season highs of 13 points and seven rebounds Friday after seeing action once in the Pacers’ previous 17 games.

“I must prepare my mind to be ready to play every game,” George said. “A lot of confidence was built off this game tonight. I don’t want to be too high or too low. I want to keep working and hopefully keep progressing.”

Former Pacers first-round pick Shawne Williams(notes), meanwhile, had a season-high 15 points Thursday for the Knicks. Williams has appeared in 15 straight games after not seeing action in New York’s first 17.

The Indiana Pacers are one of the top rebounding teams in the NBA, but got beat badly on the boards in their last game. A big disparity on the glass didn’t hurt them in their first meeting with the Charlotte Bobcats this season.

The Pacers look for a better effort when they try to hand the Bobcats their sixth straight road loss Friday night.

Indiana (10-10) lost for the third time in four games Wednesday, 97-95 at Milwaukee. The Pacers were outrebounded 50-37 and matched a season high in offensive boards allowed.

“We held them to 36 percent shooting, but gave up 19 offensive rebounds,” said coach Jim O’Brien, whose club ranks first in the league in field-goal percentage defense at 42.7. “That was the difference in the game.”

Despite a frontcourt of 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert(notes), 6-10 Josh McRoberts(notes) and 6-9 Danny Granger(notes), Indiana has yielded at least 18 offensive rebounds in three of its last four games. Hibbert and Granger combined for nine total boards Wednesday.

“At halftime Hibbert had no rebounds after 11 minutes and I think Danny had one,” O’Brien said. “We’ve got to do a better job at that end and it hasn’t been a problem up to this point.”

The Pacers were able to overcome it in a 104-101 win Oct. 29 that spoiled the Bobcats’ home opener. Indiana, third in the league with 43.5 rebounds per game, was beaten 45-34 on the glass, but committed 10 turnovers to 17 for Charlotte. Granger scored 33 points.

Charlotte (8-13) has been sloppy all season, with an Eastern Conference-worst 16.9 turnovers per game. The Bobcats overcame 18 giveaways that led to 28 points for Denver in a 100-98 victory Tuesday.

“Still 28 points off turnovers,” coach Larry Brown said. “The turnovers, I can’t even explain them.”

Stephen Jackson(notes) scored 23 points, Gerald Wallace(notes) added 20 and Tyrus Thomas(notes) had 16 off the bench for Charlotte, which is looking to win consecutive games for the second time this season.

“We have to start winning games now, so we don’t have to use so much energy at the end of the season to be in the position we want to be in,” Jackson said.

Jackson hasn’t played well in his returns to Conseco Fieldhouse since being traded by Indiana to Golden State during the 2006-07 season. He scored 36 points Feb. 5, 2007 in a victory in his first game back with the Warriors before averaging 17.2 on 36.4 percent shooting in his next five – all losses.

Point guard D.J. Augustin(notes) has poor numbers against Indiana, shooting 25.5 percent in seven career games. He had 18 points on 7 of 11 from the field Tuesday, and the Bobcats want to see more of that.

“We are a better team and we’re more aggressive when he is aggressive,” Jackson said. “The offense opens up and when he comes off pick-and-rolls and is aggressive to score, that opens up shots for me and Gerald. I think when D.J. is aggressive, the team is better.”