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Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News
Knicks’ Iman Shumpert (r.) is whistled for a foul on Paul George in the final seconds of regulation that allows the Pacers to tie it. George hits all three free throws on his way to 35 points.
The Knicks collective basketball IQ equals their win total these days.
Only Mike Woodson’s team, which was on the receiving end of several questionable calls, can lose a game that was theirs to win.
You can start with Iman Shumpert’s boneheaded foul on Paul George in the final seconds of regulation with the Knicks leading by three and George shooting a three. Throw in J.R. Smith’s ill-advised 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter with 21 seconds left on the shot clock and include Kenyon Martin’s poorly-timed foul on Roy Hibbert in overtime.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News
Carmelo Anthony scores gets 30 points but can power the Knicks to a victory.
The Knicks home losing streak reached six in a row after George scored 21 of 35 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Indiana Pacers rallied for a 103-96 victory. Indiana improved to an NBA best 10-1 while the Knicks lost their fourth straight and fell to 3-8 with their next four games on the road.
Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 30 points and 18 rebounds but shot 10 for 28 and missed a jumper at the end of regulation. Anthony went 3-for-10 in the fourth quarter and overtime. J.R. Smith added 21 on 8-for-19 shooting while Beno Udrih, making his second straight, finished with 19 points and eight rebounds and made two key shots in the fourth.
Andrea Bargnani shot 4 for 16 while Iman Shumpert made just 1 of 6 shots and was called for the foul on George with 5.2 seconds left and the Knicks leading 89-86. George was clearly behind the three-point line and it appeared that Shumpert barely grazed the small forward’s arm as George elevated to shoot.
George Hill added 23 for Indiana and Brooklyn’s Lance Stephenson had nine points and nine rebounds. David West finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds as the Pacers recovered despite falling behind 13-0 to start the game.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News
Beno Udrih (l.) has a terrific game for the Knicks with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, but C.J. Watson and the Pacers come out on top.
Hibbert struggled against Bargnani, scoring just eight points with eight rebounds in 37 minutes.
The Knicks held a lead for 41 minutes and 62-58 advantage entering the fourth quarter represented their first fourth quarter lead in their last four home games. It was a well-deserved advantage considering the Knicks were coming off a loss 24 hours earlier in Detroit while Indiana hadn’t played since losing to Chicago last Saturday. Of course, Indiana having a day and night to enjoy Manhattan may have been partly responsible for their lackluster performance.
Anthony spent the final five minutes on the third after picking up his fourth foul, including two straight offensive fouls. His powerful driving lay-up over Hibbert should have been a no call. Anthony returned with 10 minutes left and Indiana took a lead when former Knick Chris Copeland hit a corner three.
Anthony forced his first shot with Copeland in his face but after Copeland missed an open three, the Knicks went on a 9-2 run including Smith’s lay-up as he was fouled by Stephenson, who was in the middle of an emotional breakdown. Stephenson hurt the Knicks in the last year’s playoff series but on Wednesday he was hurting the Pacers with his poor decision making.
Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News
Pacers center Roy Hibbert (c.) is quiet, just eight points and eight boards, but Andrea Bargnani (l.), Kenyon Martin and company can’t take advantage.
With the Knicks leading by six, Indiana scored the next eight points including back-to-back three’s from George Hill and C.J. Watson. Mike Woodson called time out and ran an isolation play for Anthony but he missed a contested lay-up. George’s lay-up made it 79-75 and the Knicks caught a huge break when Beno Udrih dribbled himself into trouble but used a pump fake to create space between himself and George and calmly hit a three as the shot clock expired.
After David West misfired on a jumper, Smith’s three gave the Knicks an 81-79 lead but Hill hit a straight away three to give Indiana lead. Smith’s mindless turnover led to a Hill lay-up when the Pacers caught the Knicks sleeping on an inbounds play. Udrih answered with a pull-up and after Hill made just one free throw, Anthony was fouled on an offensive rebound and tied it at 85 with 1:46 left.
George then drew a foul on Iman Shumpert but made just one of two which set the stage for Udrih’s second improbable shot. He drove into the lane and appeared to be passing to Anthony as he threw the ball toward the basket. Of course, it went in.
Anthony then blocked George’s lay-up which led to a fast break chance but for some reason Smith launched a corner three with 21 seconds left on the shot clock. Hibbert knocked the rebound out and the Knicks regained possession only to have Andrea Bargnani miss an open three with 42 seconds left.
The Pacers called time out and ran a play for George that resulted in Hill’s open three. Indiana tracked down the long rebound and Hill’s second open three fell short. Indiana fouled Anthony and after he converted both to make it 89-86, Shumpert inexplicably fouled George in the act of shooting a three with 5.2 seconds. George tied it and forced Anthony into a tough shot as the two All Stars bumped chests just before Anthony missed a 12-footer and Smith’s tap also rimmed out.
Indiana’s lead was 94-91 in overtime when George drew a questionable foul. He made both and the Knicks compounded the problem when Kenyon Martin was called for a foul when he pushed Hibbert into the lane. Hibbert made his free throw which turned out to be a three-point possession with 90 seconds left.
