Since losing to the Hawks, the Pacers have beaten the Wizards by 27, the Kings by 24, and tonight they neat the Knicks by 28. Last time they needed a foul on a last second three-pointer and Paul George magic in overtime to beat the Knicks — this time they turned it into a laugher in the second quarter.
It was Lance Stephenson's night, as it usually is when he plays the Knicks or the Nets. Tonight he refreshed his career high to 28 points and had a handful of razzle dazzle moves and hip shakes. Paul George, tasked with checking Carmelo, finished with 25 points, while Roy Hibbert had another big dunk block on Anthony to go with 11 points, and David West added another 12. Danny Granger and Luis Scola had 11 and 10 respectively off the bench as everyone on the roster except Rasual Butler scored.
Carmelo had 18 points in the first quarter but scored just another 10 the rest of the way. More bad news for the Knicks as Amare Stoudemire sprained his ankle very badly, and Tim Hardaway Jr and Amarea Stoudemire also suffered injuries.
The Pacers still have the best record in the NBA at 31-7, but more importantly they have opened up a 4-game lead on the Heat, who have lost 3 straight. They have a tough home game on Saturday against the Clippers, who will be without the injured Chris Paul but a revenge-seeking Darren Collison (George Hill better step up), before a very interesting 5-game West coast road trip.
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