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November 20, 2009

Harrington leads Knicks past Pacers

Granger scores 33 for Pacers, but fouls out

By Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — Al Harrington helped the Knicks finally get a win.

Now, he hopes they can get a superstar.

Harrington scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and New York beat Indiana 110-103 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak and halt the Pacers' win streak at five games.

Much of the talk after the game was about Allen Iverson. Memphis waived the unhappy point guard Tuesday, and the Knicks acknowledge they plan to discuss the possibility of adding the 34-year-old former MVP. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni has even discussed how he would fit into the team.

Harrington is one of several Knicks who would be glad to see Iverson in blue and orange. He spoke as though Iverson's arrival was imminent.

"I think it will help things," Harrington said. "You got a guy who's a proven scorer, probably a Hall-of-Famer. He can only do positive things, I think, to this team."

Eddy Curry, who scored 10 points in 12 minutes in his first game since he tore his right calf muscle on the opening day of training camp, said Iverson could provide a boost.

"He's a great player," Curry said. "We can definitely use the help."

On Wednesday, Harrington was the explosive scorer the Knicks needed, especially in the fourth quarter. He made 3 of 4 3-pointers in the final 12 minutes.

"Up until that point, I really didn't have no rhythm," he said. "But I always feel like I'm one shot away. I hit one, hit two, confidence gets going."

He said it wasn't a big deal to return to Conseco Fieldhouse, where he had two stints with the Pacers.

"It's just another game now," he said. "When I first came back, my first year, I was nervous and all that, but now it's just another game."

Larry Hughes had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Wilson Chandler scored 18 points and David Lee added 17 for the Knicks (2-9), who overcame a 13-point deficit in the final period.

Danny Granger scored 30 of his 33 points in the first half, but fouled out in the fourth quarter and wasn't a factor after halftime. His 30 points was the most a Pacer had scored in a half since Reggie Miller scored 33 against Philadelphia in 2001.

Indiana (5-4) shot 59 percent in the first half, but 24 percent in the second.

"We got a little stagnant, and we missed some shots," said Dahntay Jones, who scored 25 points. "They outplayed us, they outhustled us. That's basically the tale of that."

The Pacers led 93-80 in the fourth quarter before the Knicks got hot. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Harrington cut Indiana's lead to 97-96 with 3:56 to play, and New York finally took the lead on a pair of free throws by Hughes with 3:11 to go.

Granger fouled out with 1:26 left and the Knicks leading 101-100. New York pulled away from there as Granger sat on the bench with his head down.

"He's their best scorer, he's a dynamic player, an All-Star," Lee said. "That's huge for them when he's not able to get as many shots, partially because of foul trouble. It makes them go to different options."

Granger shot 11 for 14 in the first half, including 5 of 6 3-pointers. He did it all, scoring on drives and jumpers while still finding time to grab six boards. The Pacers led 69-54 at the break.

The Pacers came out cold in the second half, missing seven of their first eight shots. Hughes made a 3-pointer to cut Indiana's lead to 71-62.

Jones made a 3-pointer, and Tyler Hansbrough had a dunk and a three-point play during a 10-1 run that gave Indiana an 82-63 lead.

New York bounced back with an 11-0 run that included six points by Harrington, but Indiana still led 86-76 at the end of the third.

The Knicks outscored the Pacers 34-17 in the fourth quarter. Now, they want to build the right kind of streak.

"Seventy-some games left," Hughes said. "There are a lot of games to be played. We can't get into a situation where we panic. We're not in that big a hole, but we do need to put it together. So we needed this win tonight."

NOTES: Indiana F Troy Murphy sat out with a bruised lower back. He joined Travis Diener (toe, left foot), Jeff Foster (sprained right ankle) and Mike Dunleavy (right knee) on the injured list. ... Granger scored 10 of his 13 first-quarter points after committing his second foul with 10:18 to go. ... Curry and Indiana's Solomon Jones were hit with technicals after an altercation in the second quarter. ... Hansbrough was cleared to play more than 16 minutes for the first time after missing the preseason with a shin injury. He scored 14 points in 18 minutes.

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