INDIANAPOLIS _ The Knicks must have used up all their energy in their comeback win in Milwaukee on Friday night, because they had little left last night.
Looking like a team on fumes for most of the game, the Knicks were outworked by Indiana, fell behind by 29 points and suffered a 123-109 loss to the Pacers.
"They had more energy than we did," Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They beat us to the ball. They outplayed us."
It was the Knicks' seventh loss in their last eight games. They've dropped 10 of 13 and are 17-20.
After making the surprise move of playing Ron Baker for the entire fourth quarter in the win in Milwaukee, Hornacek returned to his regular rotation, but his regulars couldn't do much on either end.
By the time Hornacek turned to Baker, the Knicks were down by 26 points heading to the fourth quarter. They erased an 18-point second-quarter hole and 13-point fourth-quarter deficit in Milwaukee, but this deficit was too big to overcome. They got within 10 with a makeshift lineup late, but the Pacers were in control from the second quarter on.
The Pacers (20-18) finished nearly 18 points above their season average and beat the Knicks 24-4 in second-chance points.
Brandon Jennings scored 17 points, all in the fourth quarter, before being ejected with 21.3 seconds left after getting into a skirmish with Joe Young. The two still were jawing and pointing at each other before leaving the court.
Carmelo Anthony also scored 17 but didn't play in the fourth quarter. Kristaps Porzingis had 16 and Derrick Rose 14. Rose also didn't play in the fourth quarter.
Paul George and Jeff Teague each scored 19 points for Indiana. Thaddeus Young had 16 points and nine rebounds and Myles Turner added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Knicks finally showed some life after being down 29 in the fourth quarter. They got within 110-99 when Jennings fed Mindaugas Kuzminskas for a dunk with 4:57 left.
After Indiana took a 118-102 lead with two free throws by Teague, the Knicks scored the next six points to make it 118-108 but could get no closer.
For the second straight game, the Knicks allowed 33 points in the first quarter, but they trailed by only four. Then, just as in Milwaukee, things took a nasty turn for them in the second quarter.
They fell behind by 18 against the Bucks in the second quarter and saw the Pacers take a 60-40 lead in the final minute of the first half. It was the usual combination of ineffective offense, porous defense and lack of hustle.
The Knicks shot 4-for-19 and scored 14 points in the second quarter. They went nearly five minutes between their first and second field goals and another 3:23 between their second and third.
The Pacers had nearly as many second-chance points in the second quarter as the Knicks had points. Indiana converted five offensive rebounds into 11 points. The Knicks had zero second-chance points in the first half.
The Knicks scored on three of their first four possessions of the third quarter, but their inability to get consistent stops continued to hurt them. Indiana followed that with a 12-2 run. Teague was fouled attempting a three-pointer and hit all three foul shots to give the Pacers a 74-51 lead.
Anthony scored 12 points in the third quarter, but the Pacers shot 13-for-20, scored 34 points and took a 96-70 lead after three.
