NEW YORK _ Kristaps Porzingis was on a mission Sunday night. He wasn't going to let the Knicks lose.
Showing incredible growth in his third NBA season, Porzingis took the Knicks, who were down by 19 late in the third quarter, and put them on his back and carried them to an inspired victory.
Porzingis scored a career-high 40 points and led the Knicks to a 108-101 win over the Pacers on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
It was Porzingis' seventh game of 30 or more this season, and it was the second time he established a new career high in the last four games. Porzingis shot 15-for-24, and finished with eight rebounds and six blocks to lift the Knicks to a 5-4 record. He scored 26 in the second half, including 17 in the fourth quarter.
"He's playing with great confidence," Jeff Hornacek said. "He's willing to take those shots and make the plays. That's that step that he's taken to become that main focus."
Rookie Frank Ntilikina also played a big fourth quarter. He had two steals and knocked down two 3-pointers _ the second gave the Knicks the lead for good with 1:33 left. It was Porzingis' feed, and was his only assist of the night. Ntilikina scored 10 points, had seven assists and three steals overall.
The Knicks played stifling defense at the end. After trailing 90-74 with 10:02 left, they outscored Indiana 34-11 the rest of the way.
Thaddeus Young led the Pacers (5-5) with 18. Victor Oladipo had 17 and Domantas Sabonis 16.
The Pacers appeared to be in control of the game. But Porzingis wouldn't let the Knicks go quietly. He scored 15 consecutive Knicks points spanning the third and fourth quarters and 17 of 19 to help trim the deficit to 90-84 with 7:32 remaining.
Later, Ntilikina came up with a steal and then buried a 3-pointer to bring the Knicks within 92-89 with 6:33 left. Tim Hardaway Jr. eventually tied the game, 94-94, with a free throw with 4:04 remaining.
After a Darren Collison jump shot, Porzingis scored and was fouled. His free throw gave the Knicks a 97-96 lead with 3:26 left, their first advantage since the first quarter. Collison buried a 3-pointer on the next trip to give the Pacers a two-point lead. But Porzingis answered on the other end with a jumper that tied it.
Following a stop, Porzingis fed Ntilikina for a 3-pointer that gave the Knicks a 102-99 edge with 1:33 remaining. Ntilikina then forced a turnover that led to a Hardaway layup that put the Knicks up five.
Oladipo's driving layup with 32.4 seconds left made it 104-101. Lance Thomas was fouled with 11.9 seconds left and iced the game by making the two free throws.
The Pacers were the more aggressive team for most of the first three quarters. They pushed the ball on every turnover or Knicks missed shot and led 62-49 at the half.
In the third, Indiana continued to push the ball and move it in the halfcourt. The Knicks continued to be out of position and fell behind 75-57 after a Young 3-pointer with 5:36 left in the quarter.
The Knicks haven't had to play from behind much lately, as they led by at least 21 points in four of the previous five games. But they couldn't chip away much at the Pacers' lead until Porzingis scored seven consecutive points to end the third quarter.
Hornacek put Porzingis back in the game with 1:43 left and the Knicks down 84-65. He hit three straight shots, including a 3-pointer with 12.3 seconds remaining to bring the Knicks within 12 heading to the fourth.
Porzingis opened the scoring in the fourth with a dunk that brought the crowd to its feet and cut the deficit to 84-74. But the Knicks trailed by 16 after two 3-pointers by Young on back-to-back trips.
Following a Knicks timeout, Porzingis scored and was fouled. He converted a three-point play, and then buried a 3-pointer on the Knicks' next possession. Enes Kanter, who had 18 rebounds, ended Porzingis' run of 15 consecutive points, scoring on an offensive rebound to bring the Knicks within eight.
