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Knicks close out home-and-home set with Pacers

Mar 17, 2012 - 3:15 PM (Sports Network) - New York Knicks interim head coach Mike Woodson has been able to spark the slumping team to consecutive wins at home, but let's see how the team fares when it pays a visit to the Indiana Pacers tonight in the back end of a home-and-home series.

Woodson, of course, has taken over for Mike D'Antoni, who recently stepped down from the post after the team had dropped six in a row in large part to poor defense. The Knicks have blasted each of their two opponents since Woodson was promoted and are coming off last night's 115-100 win over the Pacers at historic Madison Square Garden.

Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith each netted 16 points and Jeremy Lin chipped in 13 for New York, which came out firing in the first three quarters before stumbling a bit in the final stanza. The Knicks made 50.6 percent of their shots, sinking 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, and got 12 points from both Carmelo Anthony and Steve Novak.

The Knicks, who kicked off the Woodson era with a win over Portland, are five games out of first place in the Atlantic Division and tied with Milwaukee for the eighth and final postseason berth in the East.

"We're trying to get back in the playoff picture," said Woodson. "We're playing with more urgency now."

New York has lost six straight on the road and is 7-14 as the visitor. In injury news for the Knicks, veteran point guard Baron Davis left Friday's game with a hamstring strain and is questionable for tonight.

Lin entered Friday's game averaging 19.7 points, 8.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.35 steals over his last 20 games.

Indiana is back at home for two straight games versus the Knicks and Clippers, and has dropped five of seven games. In Friday's setback at New York, Darren Collison led the Pacers with 15 points and A.J. Price added 14 in defeat.

"It's great to have a quick turnaround," said Pacers head coach Frank Vogel. "These guys are hurting. The best thing for that is another game, particularly against the team that just did that to you."

Dahntay Jones scored 13 points and both Tyler Hansbrough and George Hill compiled 12 for the Pacers, who are currently seeded fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are a solid 13-5 at home this season and have prevailed in each of their last two games as the host.

Indiana and New York have split the last 12 meetings in the Hoosier State. The Knicks are just 6-14 in the past 20 matchups as the guest in this series and will travel back to Indy on April 3.