Knicks at Pacers
The New York Knicks aren't just losing games, they're losing them in crushing fashion. The Knicks will try to win for just the fourth time in 17 games when they begin a stretch with five of six on the road by visiting the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
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New York's last three losses came by a total of six points, and Saturday's 107-105 setback was particularly crushing as star forward Carmelo Anthony's 3-point attempt at the buzzer circled the rim before rolling off. "That was a tough one to digest," Anthony told reporters. "We got the play we wanted. We got the shot we wanted. We got the look we wanted. We got everything we wanted. ... I was just thinking the ball was in. You couldn’t ask for a better look." The Pacers are coming off a three-game road trip that saw them drop the final two stops at the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz on Friday and Saturday. "I think one of the biggest things right now is energy," Pacers power forward Thaddeus Young told reporters after Saturday's setback. "We have to start off games like we start off at home. We start off with a lot of energy at home, get ourselves a big lead and we are able to sustain throughout the course of games."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE KNICKS (19-26): Seven of New York's last 13 losses came by five or fewer points, and figuring out how to put together 48 minutes of consistent effort is an issue. "It’s tough," shooting guard Courtney Lee told reporters. "It’s coming down to the last possession on a lot of these games we’re losing. I think the fourth quarter was our best defensive quarter. We need to find out ways to get stops earlier." Anthony is battling constant turmoil with the front office but put up 65 points and 17 rebounds in the last two games.
ABOUT THE PACERS (22-21): Indiana won seven of eight before dropping the last two and will play 10 of its next 15 games at home, where it owns a 16-5 record and a current five-game winning streak. One of the victories in that stretch was a 123-109 triumph over the Knicks on Jan. 7, in which the Pacers shot 50 percent from the floor and built up a 58-41 rebounding advantage. Indiana averages 44 rebounds at home but watches that number dip to 39.9 on the road, with starting center Myles Turner (8.9 rebounds at home, 6.3 on the road) the biggest reason.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks PG Derrick Rose is averaging 25.3 points in the last three games.
2. Pacers SG Monta Ellis scored 15 points on Saturday after totaling five in the previous three games.
3. Indiana took eight of the last nine in the series.