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Stephenson shines as Pacers trounce Knicks

Jan 17, 2014 - 5:55 AM Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Stephenson launched a "Sir Lancealot" video campaign Tuesday night in an effort to get himself into the upcoming All-Star Game in New Orleans.

It's tough to make a case against him.

Stephenson had 28 points and the Indiana Pacers routed the New York Knicks, 117-89, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The NBA's triple-double leader this season wore a shaggy wig, bowtie, rimmed glasses, suspenders and tucked his pants into his socks in the comedic video. In a loud and raspy voice, Stephenson made his case why he should be in the game.

"He's efficient making the right basketball plays. If he's flashy, he's being flashy making basketball plays," Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said of Stephenson. "His competitive spirit is as high as anyone we've coached."

George added 25 points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who have won seven straight against New York in Indianapolis including last season's Eastern Conference Playoffs. Indiana has won six of its last seven overall.

Carmelo Anthony netted 28 points to lead New York, which has dropped two in a row on the heels of a season-high five-game winning streak.

"I don't think they're 30 points better than our team. We were awful," Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said.

Anthony nailed a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer as the Knicks took a 31-30 edge into the second, where the Pacers began to pull away during the middle stages of the frame.

Indiana led 38-37 before Stephenson drove in for a layup, George hit a three and David West knocked down a step-back jumper to increase its margin to 45-37. The Pacers' advantage swelled to 63-48 at the break when they closed the half on a 7-0 spurt. Stephenson's layup and 3-pointer preceded West's reverse layup with a second to go.

Back-to-back triples by Stephenson and George made it 78-56 a little before the midway point of the third. Indiana took an 87-69 spread into the fourth, where the hosts led by as many as 30 before cruising to the easy victory.

Earlier, Anthony netted nine quick points as New York raced out to a 16-8 lead, but C.J. Watson capped an 8-0 Indiana spurt with a three for a 28-26 edge late in the quarter.

Game Notes

Indiana turned the ball over just six times and tallied 20 points on 12 New York giveaways ... Roy Hibbert registered 11 points and six boards for the Pacers ... Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter and did not return.