Pacers at Knicks
THE STORY: New York seeks its second consecutive victory since
interim coach Mike Woodson took over for Mike D’Antoni, who resigned
Wednesday, when the Indiana Pacers visit Friday. The Knicks have not won
two in a row since Feb. 15, part of a seven-game winning streak as
Linsanity heated up. Indiana tries to win its third straight in the
start of a home-and-home as New York visits Indiana on
Saturday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Indiana (Pacers), MSG (Knicks)
ABOUT THE PACERS (25-16):
The Pacers traded for Leandro Barbosa, sending a second-round pick to
Toronto for the veteran guard. Barbosa averaged 12.2 points in 42 games
off the bench this season. “He gives us added depth and scoring off the
bench and will help us as we make our run to the playoffs,” Pacers
president Larry Bird said. Barbosa, 29, will not join the team until at
least Saturday. Barbosa was the 2006-07 Sixth Man of the Year and will
back up Paul George.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (19-24): Woodson’s
team ended a six-game slide with a 121-79 waxing of Portland on
Wednesday. The Knicks will probably get a truer test Friday. Woodson’s
style features much more set plays than the pick-and-roll nature of
D’Antoni. “He's going to utilize his leading scorers, myself and Carmelo
(Anthony), make sure he takes advantage of every opportunity on the
court,” Amare Stoudemire said Thursday. “We've been profound scorers all
our careers. He wants to make sure we take advantage of that.”
BUZZER BEATERS:
1.
The 42-point win by the Knicks marked the largest margin of victory for
an interim coach in his first game, according to the Elias Sports
Bureau.
2. Pacers forward Danny Granger has scored in double figures in 12 straight games and 28 of the last 29.
3.
New York held Portland to 29 first-half points, the lowest total scored
against the Knicks since Nov. 20, 2001 when they held the Golden State
Warriors to 25.