INDIANAPOLIS — Roy Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Paul George had 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assist to lead the Pacers past New York 82-71 Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Pacers are up 2-1, with Game 4 of the best-of-seven series Tuesday in Indy.
Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points to lead the Knicks, who led only once in the game for a total of 76 seconds. New York spent the final 45 minutes trying to play catch-up but never did.
Amare Stoudemire looked rusty after returning from a two-month absence, going 3 of 8 from the field and finishing with seven points. J.R. Smith scored nine points after missing the morning shootaround because of a 102-degree fever.
Indiana took control with a 14-3 run that gave it a 58-44 third-quarter lead, and the Knicks never got closer than eight.
The big questions heading into the game were whether Smith would play, whether Stoudemire would be effective and whether Indiana could get back to its brand of basketball.
Smith gave it a go, but his shooting problems continued as he went 4 of 12 from the field and walked straight to the locker room when he was replaced with 7:45 left in the game. He returned to the game a few minutes later.
Stoudemire, meanwhile, hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in eight minutes and grabbed two rebounds.
The biggest difference between Games 2 and 3 was how the Pacers played.
Four days after being embarrassed in a 26-point loss at New York, the Pacers got tough. New York shot just 35.2 percent from the field and made only three 3s, Anthony got into foul trouble by picking up three in a 2:18 span during the third quarter and, of course, Indiana finished with a 53-40 rebounding advantage.
The result: Instead of struggling over the final 18 minutes, the Pacers thrived. New York closed the deficit to 44-41 midway through the third quarter. That’s when things fell apart.
After Tyson Chandler was called for his third foul, he picked up a technical that allowed the Pacers to score three points on the possession. West followed that with a 19-foot jumper and after Chandler went 1-of-2 from the free throw line, Indiana seized control by going on a 9-0 run that made it 58-44.
Stoudemire’s buzzer-beater to end the quarter got the Knicks within 62-51 and New York eventually got as close as 65-57 with 9:10 left. But Indiana answered with seven straight points and never let the Knicks challenge seriously again.
Grizzlies 87,
Thunder 81
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Marc Gasol scored 20 points and hit two free throws with 1:03 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the Grizzlies held off the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-1 lead in this Western Conference semifinal.
Gasol scored 16 in the second half as Memphis remained unbeaten at home in the postseason.
The Grizzlies pulled out the win in an ugly performance for both teams following a three-day layoff since Game 2. After struggling at the free throw line in Oklahoma City, the Grizzlies hit all six at the line in the final 1:03 to clinch it.
Kevin Durant scored 25 points, but only two in the fourth quarter. A 91 percent free throw shooter in the regular season, Durant missed two with 39.3 seconds left.
Tony Allen had his best game in this series, scoring 14 points for Memphis. Jerryd Bayless added 11. Zach Randolph scored only eight points but had 10 rebounds.
The Thunder had their worst scoring and shooting performance this postseason. Reggie Jackson had 16 points for Oklahoma city, and Kevin Martin and Serge Ibaka each added 13. Durant went 3 of 11 from the floor in the second half, and his teammates went a combined 23 of 69 for the game.
Memphis built leads repeatedly, getting to as much as 10 in the second quarter.
Memphis won despite not winning in the categories the Grizzlies usually dominate. The Thunder outrebounded them 51-44 with a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass. The Thunder also outscored the Grizz 44-30 in the paint with a 23-7 edge on fast-break points. But the Thunder didn’t score after Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer with 1:58 left.
The rust from the layoff showed early for both teams. Ibaka missed not one but two dunks in the first half, Thabo Sefolosha had an airball and the Grizzlies, who had been so good at limiting turnovers, had five in the first quarter alone.
Memphis coach Lionel Hollins switched up his defense on Durant from the first two games in Oklahoma City. He didn’t put Allen, who finished fifth in voting for Defensive Player of the Year, on Durant until the final minutes of Game 2. This time, he alternated Allen with Tayshaun Prince defending Durant throughout the first half. Allen played Durant most of the third, and that helped limit Durant to 2 of 7 shooting in the quarter.
Pacers 82, Knicks 71
NEW YORK (71)
Shumpert 3-10 2-2 8, Anthony 6-16 8-11 21, Chandler 3-4 3-5 9, Felton 1-8 4-5 6, Prigioni 0-3 0-0 0, Smith 4-12 1-2 9, Kidd 0-1 0-0 0, Martin 4-7 0-0 8, Stoudemire 3-8 0-0 7, Novak 0-1 0-0 0, Richardson 0-0 0-0 0, Copeland 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 25-71 18-25 71.
INDIANA (82)
George 4-17 4-7 14, West 4-11 3-4 11, Hibbert 9-18 6-7 24, Hill 5-16 2-2 17, Stephenson 3-7 0-0 8, T.Hansbrough 1-3 1-3 3, Young 0-3 0-0 0, Augustin 1-3 0-0 3, Mahinmi 1-1 0-0 2, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, B.Hansbrough 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-80 16-23 82.
New York 15 18 20 18 — 71
Indiana 18 18 26 20 — 82
3-Point Goals—New York 3-11 (Anthony 1-1, Copeland 1-1, Stoudemire 1-1, Shumpert 0-1, Novak 0-1, Kidd 0-1, Prigioni 0-2, Smith 0-3), Indiana 10-33 (Hill 5-12, Stephenson 2-5, George 2-12, Augustin 1-3, Young 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—New York 47 (Shumpert 10), Indiana 65 (West, Hibbert 12). Assists—New York 11 (Prigioni 3), Indiana 14 (George 8). Total Fouls—New York 23, Indiana 23. Technicals—Chandler, West. A—18,165 (18,165).
Grizzlies 87, Thunder 81
OKLAHOMA CITY (81)
Durant 9-19 5-9 25, Ibaka 6-17 1-2 13, Perkins 0-4 2-2 2, Jackson 7-15 1-2 16, Sefolosha 0-4 2-2 2, Collison 1-4 0-0 2, Martin 6-17 0-0 13, Fisher 3-8 1-2 8, Liggins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-88 12-19 81.
MEMPHIS (87)
Prince 1-5 0-0 2, Randolph 4-12 0-0 8, Gasol 6-14 8-9 20, Conley 3-9 7-7 14, Allen 4-10 6-9 14, Pondexter 4-5 0-0 9, Arthur 2-3 0-0 4, Bayless 5-13 0-0 11, Dooling 1-3 2-3 5. Totals 30-74 23-28 87.
Okla. City 18 27 15 21 — 81
Memphis 22 22 22 21 — 87
3-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 5-18 (Durant 2-6, Jackson 1-2, Martin 1-3, Fisher 1-5, Sefolosha 0-2), Memphis 4-14 (Pondexter 1-2, Conley 1-2, Dooling 1-3, Bayless 1-5, Prince 0-1, Allen 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oklahoma City 65 (Durant 11), Memphis 47 (Randolph 10). Assists—Oklahoma City 10 (Durant 5), Memphis 16 (Conley 6). Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 23, Memphis 19. Technicals—Memphis defensive three second. A—18,119 (18,119).
