Pacers 106, Knicks 93
Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 29 points and eight rebounds as the Indiana Pacers snapped a six-game slide with a 106-93 victory over the host New York Knicks on Sunday.
Dahntay Jones added 18 points and Darren Collison collected 16 points and eight assists for the Pacers (28-38), who moved back into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with the Charlotte Bobcats (28-38).
Chauncey Billups returned to the lineup after a six-game absence due to a thigh bruise and looked rusty. He finished with nine points on 4-of-14 shooting in 35 minutes for New York.
Indiana led by eight at the half and pushed it to as much as 20 with a 7-0 burst late in the third quarter. Hansbrough scored 13 points in the frame and Collison capped the spurt with a pair of free throws.
The Knicks would bridge the third and fourth quarters with a small run to cut it to 87-77 but then went cold, going nearly five minutes without a point. Collison’s 3-point with 4:24 left pushed it back to 96-81 and allowed the Pacers to coast to the finish.
Amar’e Stoudemire scored 28 points and Carmelo Anthony added 25 for New York.