NBA: Pacers pounce on Knicks, set date with Miami

The Indiana Pacers leaned on a strong showing from their starters, defeating the New York Knicks, 106-99, Saturday (Sunday, PHL time) at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

The Pacers starting five contributed 98 of the team's 106 points, led by Lance Stephenson who scored 25 with 10 rebounds. Paul George had 23 markers, while Roy Hibbert posted 21 points with 12 rebounds. David West had 17 while George Hill scored 12.

The Pacers started the game with a slight advantage, 8-3, thanks to baskets from Stephenson,  George and Hill. Free throws from Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton kept New York close, but a dunk form Roy Hibbert and four points from George and  West put Indiana ahead, 17-9, with 6:36 remaining in the first quarter.

New York responded with a trey from Pablo Prigioni and a jumper by Anthony to cut the lead to three, before Prigioni hit another three to tie the game with five minutes left in the opening period, 17-all.

West and Stephenson decided to take it strong on the next two plays, netting back-to-back baskets while the Knicks missed from long range. Kenyon Martin's short jumper was canceled out by a George three, while baskets from Anthony and Smith cut the lead to two with 2:13 on the clock, 25-23.

Anthony continued to wax hot from long range, keeping the game tied in the last two minutes. With 2.5 seconds remaining, though, Martin fouled Hibbert, and the Pacers center hit two for the quarter's final score, 29-27.

No team could pull away at the start of the second, before free throws from West and Sam Young made it a four-point game 38-34. A tip-in by Tyson Chandler ended a two-minute scoring drought by both squads, before George glided in for a finger roll, 44-38.

The Pacers challenged the Knicks to a battle in the last two minutes, with Indiana hitting from the line to erect a ten-point lead, 52-42. Baskets from Anthony and Martin cut their deficit in half with 25.3 seconds remaining, but Stephenson had the last say with an and one to end the period, 55-47.

New York struggled to recover from the double-digit advantage Indiana posted to start the third. Jumpers from Iman Shumpert and Anthony brought the lead back down to seven at the 6:49 mark. Indiana's lead would shrink to one, after three straight treys from Shumpert with less than five minutes to go, 70-69. A Hibbert dunk stopped the bleeding for Indiana, before J.R. Smith knocked down another trey to tie the game, 72-all, with 3:10 to go.

A short stab by West and a pair of free throws from George kept Indiana on top late, 79-74, but Shumpert got two from the line and a three to tie the game anew with 48.1 seconds remaining in the third. Anthony threatened to give New York the lead with a layup to end the period, but a George layup with 0.2 seconds in the penultimate quarter kept the game tied at 81-all.

A Chris Copeland three put the Knicks ahead. Baskets from George and Hibbert momentarily gave the Pacers a slim advantage, but the Knicks were not done hitting from deep, as Smith knocked in another three, 92-90. Seven straight points from Stephenson gave Indiana a five-point spread at the 3:12 mark. Two more makes from West and Stephenson canceled out an Anthony jumper, 101-94, with 1:53 to go, before Smith converted on an and one to cut the Pacers' lead to four.

Two free throws from Hill with 55.7 seconds to go negated an Anthony dunk, as Indiana sustained the four-point advantage. Hill continued to be steady from the line, hitting two more off a Shumpert foul. A Copeland miss from beyond the arc sealed the deal for the home team, as Indiana held on to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carmelo Anthony carried New York with 39 points, but Shumpert was the only other Knick starter in double-figures with 19. The rest of their starting five combined for 10 points. J.R. Smith had 15 points and 10 rebounds  off the bench, while Chris Copeland had nine markers. — Renee Avena Fopalan/LBG, GMA News