NBA Playoffs: Pacers Take Series Lead After Game 3 Win

May 11, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is guarded by Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 82-71. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Pacers 82 New York Knicks 71

 How Indiana Won: Ugly is a beautiful term for the Pacers.  They took that to new limits Saturday night when they shot just 28 for 80(35 percent) from the field, and committed 17 turnovers, but was still able to grind out a double digit win.

Roy Hibbert dominated, finishing with 24 points and 12 rebounds and dominating on the defensive end.  George Hill scored 17 points, Paul George added 14 points, and David West chipped in with 11 points and 12 rebounds.  Although the Pacers attempted a season high 33 three-pointers, it proved to be the difference in the game as Indiana hit on 10 of those three-point attempts.

Indiana’s defense was remarkable, holding the Knicks to just 35 percent shooting for the game as well and chasing shooters off the three point line.

 How New York Lost: For a team that broke the record for most threes made in a single season, the Pacers single-handedly took the three-ball away from the Knicks.  Defenders were flying to spot up shooters, forcing them to dribble and penetrate.  The Knicks attempted just 11 threes for the game, converting on just 3.  They also just avoided scoring their lowest franchise point total in a playoff game.  The all-time low is 67, the Knicks didn’t reach 68 points until about the 1:39 mark in the fourth quarter.

Aside from Carmelo Anthony, who scored 21 points, no other Knick scored in double digits.  J.R. Smith struggled again, finishing with just 9 points on 4 for 12 shooting in 25 minutes.  He is now just 11 for 42 from the field in the series.  Iman Shumpert pulled down 10 rebounds, but scored just 8 points on 3 for 10 shooting, and Tyson Chandler finished with just 9 points and 5 rebounds.  Anthony, himself, did not contribute in the fourth quarter, scoring just two points.

It was a good sign to see Amar’e Stoudemire return after being sidelined for two and a half months.  He played 9 minutes and chipped in nicely with 7 points and 2 rebounds, including making a three to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter. The Knicks led for as much as 76 seconds in the game.

It Was Over When:  The Knicks were down by as little as 44-41 at halftime.  Chandler was called for his third foul early in the third quarter, lost his temper, and was hit with a technical foul.  Indiana then went on a 9-0 run and never looked back.

 Quote Of The Night: “That’s how we play Pacers basketball. We just locked in, and it was just helping one another on the defensive end.”  -Paul George on winning ugly

Box Score:

New York Knicks

STARTERS

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

37

6-16

1-1

8-11

1

4

5

1

0

0

4

5

-16

21

37

3-10

0-1

2-2

3

7

10

2

1

0

1

1

-5

8

30

3-4

0-0

3-5

1

4

5

0

0

3

1

5

-14

9

34

1-8

0-0

4-5

1

2

3

2

2

0

3

2

-9

6

24

0-3

0-2

0-0

0

0

0

3

1

0

1

1

-6

0

BENCH

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

9

3-8

1-1

0-0

2

0

2

0

0

0

1

2

0

7

20

4-7

0-0

0-0

2

5

7

1

1

0

1

4

+3

8

1

1-1

1-1

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

+3

3

2

0-1

0-1

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

+5

0

2

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

+5

0

20

0-1

0-1

0-0

0

6

6

2

2

0

2

1

-16

0

25

4-12

0-3

1-2

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

2

-5

9

DNP COACH’S DECISION

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

Indiana Pacers

STARTERS

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

35

4-11

0-0

3-4

5

7

12

1

1

1

3

4

+13

11

43

4-17

2-12

4-7

3

5

8

8

5

0

5

4

+17

14

40

9-18

0-0

6-7

8

4

12

0

0

0

2

5

+20

24

41

5-16

5-12

2-2

0

6

6

1

1

0

3

4

+14

17

34

3-7

2-5

0-0

0

7

7

3

0

0

2

1

+2

8

BENCH

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

15

1-3

0-0

1-3

1

2

3

0

0

0

1

1

-4

3

7

0-3

0-1

0-0

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

+6

0

6

1-1

0-0

0-0

0

4

4

0

0

0

1

1

-7

2

1

0-1

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-3

0

17

1-3

1-3

0-0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

2

0

3

1

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-3

0

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS