The New York Knicks crushed the Indiana Pacers after going on a ridiculous run that went from the third quarter up until the middle of the fourth. The final score read 103-79 as the Knicks mercilessly tied the series reminding the Pacers who was the second best team in the East during the regular season.
Carmelo Anthony was on pace to continue his struggles in the first half of this game, but he caught fire in the second half scoring 22 of his 32 points. More importantly, he shot 50 percent from the floor. Giving Anthony help on offense were both Raymond Felton, who finished with 14 points, and Pablo Prigioni, who added 10 points on 4-4 shooting from the floor. Iman Shumpert added 13 points and a monster putback, while Kenyon Martin had 10 points off the bench with two huge blocks.
For the Pacers, their struggles began at the end of the third quarter. Just how bad were they? They didn't score until after the starters went off the floor and the Knicks led by 20 points. The clock read 4:48 and Tyler Hansbrough was at the free throw line. The Pacers scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it was no match for the Knicks 33 points.
The Knicks were trailing 64-62 with 3:28 remaining in the third quarter, but this was the last field goal the Pacers would sink until. George Hill hit a three that sent the Garden crowd quiet. However the Knicks closed out the quarter on a 10-2 run. They followed this with a 23-2 as the Pacers wouldn't hit another field goal until there was 3:09 remaining in the game.
The Pacers were shooting well throughout the game. They finished with 45 percent from the floor, but the story was worse in the fourth quarter. They committed 21 turnovers and simply couldn't hold on to the ball. The Knicks finished with just seven turnovers and had 20 assists as they continuously moved the ball.
J.R. Smith was atrocious once again shooting just 3-15 from the floor adding just eight points. The important thing for the Knicks, however, is that they were able to tie the series and go into Indiana with the series tied 1-1.
Game 3 is on Saturday as both teams will have time to rest and better their game plans.
