Pacers beat Knicks to take 3-1 lead; Spurs win
Indiana Pacers guard George Hill, left, is fouled by New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal NBA basketball playoff series in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 11, 2013. The Pacers defeated the Knicks 82-71. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
INDIANAPOLIS — George Hill scored 26 points and Paul George added 18 points and 14 rebounds Tuesday night, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 93-82 victory over the New York Knicks and a 3-1 lead in the second-round series.
Indiana needs one more win to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2004. Game 5 will be Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
NBA scoring champ Carmelo Anthony fouled out with 24 points. J.R. Smith had 19 on another dreadful night for the Knicks.
The game followed a familiar pattern. New York’s shooting was off, Indiana had a huge rebounding edge and the Knicks couldn’t challenge in the second half.
New York didn’t hang around long, either. Indiana closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run to break a 14-14 tie. New York never got closer than five the rest of the way.
In San Antonio, Texas, Tony Parker had 25 points and 10 assists, and San Antonio held Golden State’s starting backcourt to 13 points for a 109-91 victory to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Kawhi Leonard added 17 points, Danny Green scored 16 and Tim Duncan had 14 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio.
Harrison Barnes scored 25 points, Jarrett Jack added 20 and Carl Landry 16 for Golden State. No other Warriors player had more than nine points.
The Spurs held Mark Jackson’s self-proclaimed “greatest shooting backcourt” in NBA history to 6-for-22 shooting. Stephen Curry finished with nine points, going 1 for 7 on 3-pointers, and Klay Thompson was held to four while not even attempting a 3.
