PACE JUST TOO MUCH
Indy’s late spurt tops Knicks for 7th straight
INDIANAPOLIS — Victor Oladipo is getting close.
Oladipo had his best outing since he returned from a nagging right knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for 11 games, scoring 26 points Sunday as the Pacers beat the Knicks, 110-99, for their seventh straight victory.
The winner of the Most Improved Player award last season added eight rebounds, seven assists and a seasonhigh five steals. The All- Star guard said he is nearly feeling 100%.
“I’m almost there,” Oladipo said. “I’m still try- ing to get my legs back under me. But I’m almost there.”
Myles Turner added 24 points, six rebounds and two blocks. He also halted the Knicks’ momentum on a fast break in the fourth quarter, sprinting across the court to disrupt Emmanuel Mudiay’s layup attempt that would have cut the Pacers’ lead to four points late in the game. The Pacers say plays like that symbolize their defensive focus.
“That’s just our makeup. It’s just something that’s embedded in our heads. We know we have to be in our spots (on defense) to help our teammates,” Darren Collison said. “We’re just caring about one another. Everybody’s making the right plays, and really, it comes down to our defense. When we play defense the way we have been, we can do whatever we want on the offensive end.”
Mudiay and the Knicks couldn’t
quite follow up their improbable comeback victory in overtime against the Hornets on Friday, during which they faced a 21-point deficit.
“I feel like we competed,” Mudiay said. “(We) definitely showed a lot more effort. The main thing was getting us a chance in the first quarter, and that’s what we went out there wanting to do, so we gave ourselves a chance. But it didn’t come out the way we wanted.”
Enes Kanter finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points and Mudiay finished with 18.
The Pacers led by as many as 10 in the first half, but only led 56-53 at halftime.
It was tied, 81-81, with nine minutes remaining before Indiana scored seven straight points for an 88-81 lead. The Knicks made a late run, but the Pacers held on to improve to 20-10.
“We just stepped up our energy,” Turner said. “A team like (the Knicks) tries to slow you down. We just had to create our own energy.”