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Knicks stay perfect under Woodson with win over Indiana

Mar 18, 2012 - 3:24 AM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Jeremy Lin scored 19 points to lead a balanced New York attack, and the Knicks remained perfect under new head Mike Woodson with a 102-88 decision over Indiana Saturday night.

Lin also had seven rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who are 3-0 since Mike D'Antoni stepped down from his post. The recent surge includes a 115-100 win against the Pacers Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Their most recent win snapped a six-game road losing streak.

"Our hearts are right and it was a total team effort," Woodson said. "I couldn't be more proud of the team than I am tonight."

Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony each had 16 points, as the Knicks continued their recent success following a six-game skid. The winning streak started against Portland, 121-79, on Wednesday.

Roy Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who lost for the sixth time in eight contests. Paul George totaled 18 points, three more than Darren Collison.

"I thought our guys played with a lot more fight than they did last night," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "We closed the gap, but couldn't get over the hump."

Hibbert sank a hook shot to get the Pacers within 82-79 with 8:35 remaining, but Lin, who had eight points in the last quarter, was the spark that the Knicks needed. He drained a pair of jumpers to start New York's decisive 14-2 spurt.

Included in the run was a Lin steal, that led to J.R. Smith's jump shot. The flurry ended when Tyson Chandler jammed off a feed from Anthony for a 96-81 margin with 3:54 left. The double-digit difference remained the rest of the way.

Both teams shot at least 50 percent in the opening quarter, but the Pacers claimed a 35-33 edge after 12 minutes. The big momentum change came in the second when Indiana committed six turnovers, leading to 13 New York points. The Knicks scored 11 in a row to grab a 44-37 lead following a 1-of-3 effort from Iman Shumpert from the foul line.

After Collison's jumper, the Knicks continued to pull away as Chandler jammed, Anthony hit a layup and Steve Novak drilled a three-point shot. New York held a 60-51 halftime lead.

The Pacers got as close as two in the third quarter, but trailed, 77-74, going to the fourth.

Game Notes

Smith had 11 points...The Knicks went 31-of-40 from the foul line...Indiana finished 4-of-19...Danny Granger scored 11 for the Pacers.