No national TV, but Indiana Pacers roll over New York Knicks

A couple of weeks ago, the NBA decided that anything that could possibly happen inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday night wouldn't be entertaining enough for a national audience.

However, the regional audience, a population of basketball-loving Hoosiers, might disagree after the Indiana Pacers steamrolled through the New York Knicks for the 103-82 win.

The teams have a rich history of rivalries, and just the phrase "Pacers-Knicks" could justify a primetime slot on TNT. However, recently the matchup had lost its appeal since both teams have occupied space near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Therefore, the game was replaced on TNT.

This rejection did not seem to faze the Pacers (17-31) who played one of their best games of the year.

Indiana hit 53 percent from the floor and won the physical game with a 49-33 rebounding edge and by scoring 50 points in the paint for only the third time this season. Rodney Stuckey scored 22 points, attacking from his position as the starting shooting guard, while the Pacers' frontcourt asserted themselves against the Knicks (9-38).

Center Roy Hibbert played as a significant factor in this advantage and displayed confidence throughout the night with a bevy of hook shots and yes, dunks – even a tip-in dunk in the second quarter. While walking back onto the floor after halftime, Hibbert (18 points and 10 rebounds) got the attention of a reporter at the scorer's table and proclaimed: "Mark it down in history! Second tip dunk!"

And save this one for the yearbook: The Pacers ran away with their second-largest margin of victory of the 2014-15 season.

"I found my openings, and my teammates found me," Hibbert said. "There was no talk of trying to get me the ball. We just kind of flowed into it."

Oh, but the Pacers were very aware of their size advantage and knew Hibbert needed to get plenty of touches. The Knicks start a front line of Lou Amundson and Jason Smith and neither have a reputation for banging bodies in the paint. So, with that matchup clearly favoring the Pacers, the ball regularly zipped inside.

When David West (10 points, six assists and six rebounds) finished a layup with 7:19 remaining in the first quarter, it marked the fifth straight possession inside the paint for the Pacers. Overall, Indiana outscored New York in the lane 12-6 for the quarter. However, simply getting good looks did not help the Pacers on the other end.

The defense? Nonexistent, as the Knicks scored on seven of their first 10 possessions and shot 77 percent at the start. New York even opened an 11-point lead near the two-minute mark and finished the quarter ahead 29-22.

By the second quarter, however, the Pacers' physicality turned the momentum. Lavoy Allen got the backup power forward minutes ahead of Luis Scola, who sat for the first time in 277 games, and in only a little more than 9 minutes, he made 4-of-5 shots for eight points. Even more, Allen grabbed five rebounds, including three on the offensive end.

"He was great in doing what he normally does," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of Allen, "knocking down the mid-range shot, making some good passes and hurting our opponent on the glass."

New York simply could not contend with Indiana's offensive rebounding advantage and past the midway point of the second quarter, the Pacers started their devastating run with strong work under the glass. The Pacers trailed by four when a possession turned into a second, then a third chance with the offensive rebounding. When Allen retrieved a missed 3-pointer by Damjan Rudež, the play recovered and the ball swung around the perimeter to find Rudež once again, this time open in the corner. Rudež's 3-pointer trimmed the Knicks' lead to 35-34, and from there, the Pacers took over the lead.

Whether it was Hibbert dunking or passing out of a double-team to find Allen for the open layup, the Pacers looked more connected than their underperforming peers from New York. The only discouraging sign was Allen coming down awkwardly after a putback, then limping and looking at the Pacers' bench to come out. The team later announced that Allen had a sore right knee. He did not return to the game.

In spite of losing Allen, the Pacers still dominated the Knicks through the third quarter. Reminiscent of stretches of play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 15 and the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 27 – two of the season's best performances – the Pacers distanced themselves from the Knicks with a 35-12 quarter. Again, in overwhelming the Knicks' smallish frontcourt, Hibbert looked unstoppable with more hook shots and jumpers at the beginning of the third. By the time he checked out with 3:45 remaining in the quarter, the Pacers led by 25 points and Hibbert received appreciative applause from most in the announced crowd of 15,665 for his 12th double-double of the year.

"Sometimes you go into games saying 'this is what we're going to do,' and sometimes it doesn't happen," Hibbert said. "But I think we flowed into it a little better in the second half and I've got to do a better job in the first half fighting for position to make myself available. It's a process."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.