Knicks win, close in on No. 6 seed

INDIANAPOLIS -- The streaking Knicks are one step closer to securing the sixth seed in the East. What that will mean a week from now, when the playoffs begin, still is up to the Celtics and Heat.

Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points, hitting a jumper with 4.9 seconds left for his second game-winner as a Knick, in a 110-109 win over the Pacers Sunday night at Conseco Fieldhouse. It was the Knicks' seventh straight victory.

Anthony also came up with a block on Danny Granger's last-second shot to seal the win.

The Knicks trailed by 11 points early in the fourth and were down 109-103 with 3:32 left, but they held the Pacers scoreless for the remainder of the game.

"The shot was cool," Anthony said of his game-winner, "but they still had time to come down and get a shot . . . I just buckled down and made a great defensive stop."

The win ensured the Knicks (42-38) of their first winning season since 2000-01, when they finished 48-34.

Their magic number to clinch the sixth seed is one. It can be secured Monday night if the seventh-place 76ers lose to the Orlando Magic. The Knicks host the top-seeded Chicago Bulls Tuesday in the home finale at the Garden.

Before the game, Mike D'Antoni said he talked to the team about the motivation to "determine our own fate" in the standings.

"I don't think it was that big of a game as far as positioning goes," said Anthony, who had five assists, four rebounds, three blocked shots and two steals. "It was just a big game for us confidence-wise, coming down the stretch, finishing out the regular season with some good momentum."

Chauncey Billups added 21 points and seven assists. Shawne Williams, who started again in place of injured Amar'e Stoudemire (sprained left ankle) had 11 points and two steals, including a takeaway against Darren Collison with 13.9 seconds left to set the stage for Anthony's winner.

D'Antoni credited "intensity" and "the will to win" for the effective Knicks defense, but it didn't really appear until D'Antoni blasted the team between the third and fourth quarters.

You really think these games don't mean anything?

"Mike just jumped everybody," Billups said. "He jumped on all five guys. He jumped everybody. And I thought the game changed. Guys went out, started playing hard and did what was necessary."

Granger had 20 points to lead the Pacers (37-44), who already have clinched the eighth seed in the East.

Anthony struggled with his shooting (11-for-28) and in the second half appeared to be dealing with a problem with his right (shooting) hand after a hard fall. He flexed it several times throughout the second half, but it did not appear to be an issue on the final shot.

Anthony said the hand was "sore, but I'll be all right."

Notes & quotes: Donnie Walsh, whose contract will expire June 30 if his team option for next season isn't picked up by April 30, responded with anger about speculation that he might return to the Pacers if Larry Bird leaves after this season. "I'm angry about that because there's absolutely no truth in that," he said. "I've never talked to [Pacers owner] Herb Simon or anybody else about it, so to me, it's just something that somebody else made up. I don't know where they're getting it from."

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