Jim O’Brien, the Pacers’ Head Coach, told Indianapolis Star reporter Mike Wells he expects the Thursday, February 18 trade deadline to pass without the team making a deal.

“As much as every team in the league wants to do some things to improve your basketball team, it just seems that it’s very difficult to make deals and everybody wants to improve their basketball team, but when we go to New Orleans (on Friday) this will be the group we will have,” O’Brien told Wells.

According to Wells, “Troy Murphy was the most likely candidate to move because he can help a playoff team with his ability to close.”

And Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, citing league sources Thursday morning, wrote “the Pacers are resigned that they won’t be trading Troy Murphy prior to Thursday’s deadline.”

Wojnarowski adds, “Murphy had been the object of interest in several places, including Milwaukee, Sacramento and even Cleveland. The Bucks were the most intrigued with him until they made a deal for Chicago’s John Salmons on Wednesday.”

According to Wells, the Pacers wanted multiple expiring contracts from the Bucks for Murphy. “The Bucks wanted to the Pacers take guard Charlie Bell, whose contract doesn’t expire until after the 2011-12 season, back in return,” Wells wrote, adding to “add Sacramento to the ‘highly unlikely’ list when it comes to Murphy, according to Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee.

Wells also wrote, “Murphy didn’t have any boxes or a suitcase near his locker on Wednesday. He’s working under the assumption that he won’t be dealt.”

“After trying to unload the salary of their highest-paid player, the Indiana Pacers are resigned that they won’t be trading Troy Murphy prior to Thursday’s deadline,” league sources are telling Adrian Wojnarowski. He adds, “Murphy had been the object of interest in several places, including Milwaukee, Sacramento and even Cleveland. The Bucks were the most intrigued with him until they made a deal for Chicago’s John Salmons on Wednesday.”

Throughout a 90-87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night at Conseco Fieldhouse, the Indiana Pacers played solid defense. Spurs All-Star forward Tim Duncan shot woefully and his teammates weren’t much better.

And as they have done much of the season, the Pacers fought.

So, after trailing by 14 in the second half, after rallying in dramatic, gutty fashion, the Pacers trailed by three points in the final seconds when Manu Ginobili missed a layup that missed the rim. After Duncan tipped a rebound from the lane in a scrummish, late-game scramble, George Hill shot a 3-point field goal that missed.

And Duncan rebounded. Yet again.

That wasn’t the only reason the Pacers lost – yet again – but as Murphy said, it did seem to sum up a game the Pacers lost in relatively new fashion, but in a fashion no less frustrating.

“The last play of the game was almost picture perfect for them,” Murphy said afterward.

Picture perfect for the Spurs, and dismal for the Pacers, who held Duncan to what the 12-time All-Star called the worst shooting night of his career.

Duncan shot 4 of 23, and scored just eight points. The Spurs as a team shot 36 percent, but out-rebounded the Pacers, 56-47, and got 20 second-chance points.

“If you would have told me we would hold them to 36 percent shooting, I would think we had a chance,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said. “The story of the game was the glass.”

That, and the play of Spurs guard Tony Parker, who missed the final game before the All-Star break and who hadn’t played in nine games because of a sore hip.

Parker, who scored nine points in the fourth quarter, finished with a game-high 28 points on 11 of 20 shooting. Parker said afterward as of yet, he “can’t do every movement, can’t go full speed.”

But he added with a smile:

“I’m a vet. I know how to get by.”

As did Duncan, who while struggling offensively managed 26 rebounds, 11 offensive.

“I was going Mo (Moses) Malone out there,” he said, smiling. “I was giving myself a chance – I’ll tell you that much.”

Said Parker, “That’s the great thing about T.D. If he’s not making shots, he’s going to do great stuff. He’s been playing like that all season. That’s why he was in the All-Star game.”

Despite Duncan’s struggles, the Spurs led 51-45 at halftime and extended the lead to 66-52 with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter before the Pacers rallied to cut the lead to two – 69-67 – entering the fourth quarter.

“We imploded at the end of the third quarter,” Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said.

That implosion was enough to let the Pacers back in, and given that opportunity, they played gutsy in the fourth quarter to not only stay in it, but have a realistic chance to win. They inched ahead by six points early in the period, but Parker hit a short jumper, then a 3-pointer, and the Spurs trailed by just one. Soon enough, a 19-foot jump shot by gave San Antonio an 80-79 lead. The Pacers tied it once more, but the Spurs never trailed again/

“We battled the whole game,” Parker said. “We had a tough first quarter, missing a lot of layups. We had a good third quarter, but Indiana also came back and it was a battle back and forth.

“It’s always sweet to win on the road. Tonight, I thought we made the shots we needed and we made the stop we needed in the fourth quarter.”

The Pacers, as so often has been the case this season, didn’t. Forward Danny Granger had 23 points in more than 45 minutes for the Pacers, shooting 8 of 17, while center Roy Hibbert had 14 points. Forward Troy Murphy had 16 rebounds and guard T.J. Ford had 14 points for the Pacers, who now face a brutal stretch of 16 games against teams with superior records, 11 of which are on the road.

“We can’t look back on this night,” Ford said. “This is the NBA. You can lose one night and be right back out there ready to go on the second night. We’ve got to regroup tomorrow, get ourselves together.”

The positives for the Pacers pretty much ended there.

Dunleavy, the Pacers’ swingman, scored 13 points in 15:40 in his first appearance in eight months, but the struggling Pacers were otherwise dominated by the surging Dallas Mavericks in a 113-92 loss in front of 16,613 at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

The domination extended beyond the scoreboard, Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said.

It was physical. Big-time.

“We did not play tough at all,” O’Brien said. “That’s why we got pounded.”

The Pacers (6-8), who now have lost five of six games after a five-game winning streak, were outrebounded by Dallas (12-4) by a margin of 54-43.

Dallas finished with 17 offensive rebounds and had 21 second-chance points to six for Indiana.

“We did a nice job, particularly on the defensive boards,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, who coached Indiana from 2003-2007,

“With 17 offensive rebounds, you should be scoring some points.”

The Mavericks, after leading by 12 points at halftime, extended the lead to 95-69 after three quarters. Indiana never led by more than one.

Whatever the outcome, the story of the game for Indiana was the return of Dunleavy, who missed all but 18 games last season and underwent right knee surgery in March.

“I think Mike did fine,” O’Brien said .”I looked confident out there and did a lot of good things offensively.”

His line – thirteen points, 4 of 7 shooting, 1 of 1 from 3-point range, 4 of 4 free throws, two rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot in 15:40 – showed why many consider his return critical to the Pacers’ development this season.

“It was great to get back out there in competition tonight,” Dunleavy said. “It was better to play and lose than to not play at all. I’ve got to work on some things, get my rhythm back and just get back into the daily routine.”

The Pacers thus far this season have played through extensive injuries, with not only Dunleavy, but C Jeff Foster, F Troy Murphy and Hansbrough for extended periods. All played Friday.

“We’ve got a relatively full lineup now,” Dunleavy said. “Now, we’ve got to make things happen. I was pain-free tonight and the legs felt pretty good. They can’t do anything but get better.”

The Pacers will play at Golden State Monday, the first game of a four-game West Coast swing. Their next home game is December 9.

“We just have to go out West and work hard,” Dunleavy said.

Pacers F Danny Granger, who missed Wednesday’s game with a sprained MCL, returned Friday and had 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting. But on Friday, Carlisle said it was the Mavericks’ perennial All-Star – Nowitzki – who made the biggest difference.

Nowitzki had 11 points in the first quarter on 4-of-6 shooting, and finished the first half with 19 points. Dallas led 66-54 at that point and Indiana never got closer.

“Nowitzki started out on fire and got us back on our heels and from there on they played with a lot more force,” O’Brien said. “You have to play with tremendous force and we did not and never found ourselves in the game. They beat us to every loose ball.”

Said Pacers point guard T.J. Ford, “This is a time when we have to regroup, hold on to each other and accountable to each other. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got to show more effort. We did pretty good at the end of the first half – beyond that, not very good.

“We’ve got to refocus, have good practice, get out there and get the effort and get back on the right track.”

3) Still searching. You got the idea watching the Indiana Pacers in the last week that they’re still a team searching for their early-season identity. And you also get a feeling that that’s normal and OK. The Pacers can’t wait forever of course, because a few more four-game losing streaks can turn 6-7 into an abysmal season, but there’s not a vibe around this team that it’s going to go on an extended loss. Because of injuries, Pacers coach Jim O’Brien has shifted lineups often in the early season, but there continue to be signs that this team can solidify itself and be a 45-, 48-victory team. The Pacers have shown in the early season they can beat the NBA’s lesser teams on most nights, and that’s what they’re going to have to do make a postseason push. To be playing at that level with F Mike Dunleavy not yet in the lineup and with F Tyler Hansbrough still learning just how to be productive on a consistent basis is a good sign. There also were some signs that the good to come out of the victory over the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday was a good sign. They won that game without F Danny Granger, and did  good job defensively on a talented offensive team. The key? Can the Pacers put forth that sort of defensive intensity and focus more consistently?

2) Rock solid. You always have to be cautious drawing conclusions from a little more than an eighth of an NBA season, but you also can’t not like what Dahntay Jones has given the Pacers. There are inconsistent players on the Pacers throughout the roster — G T.J. Ford and G Brandon Rush, to name two — but Jones has been remarkable in his consistency. Jones, after scoring in double figures 11 times for Denver last season, has done it all 13 games for the Pacers this season. But Jones’ value to the Pacers early, and the thing you can’t imagine not continuing to be invaluable as the season continues, is the all-out effort and focus he seems to bring. Jones missed his first eight shots — and went scoreless in the first half — against the Clippers, but scored 18 in the second half as the Pacers rallied. After one 3-point shot near the Clippers bench, he turned and jawed just enough, then most importantly, hustled to the defensive end. You get the idea watching him the effort and energy isn’t something that’s going to ebb and flow. That’s crucial in a long season.

1) A good or bad thing? I’ll credit the blogger, BenD, at Indy Cornrows with the idea for this, and it’s interesting. He wrote that the Pacers at one point this week were 0-5 with F Troy Murphy playing. After the victory over the Clippers, that statistic is now 1-6, and while this is an early thought on this subject, it seems a stretch to lay the blame solely on Murphy. His offensive game is a bit unorthodox for a four considering — as BenD notes — he does set up well away from the basket, but he does bring a big rebounding presence and he does give the Pacers another quality outside shooter. He also made some good hustle plays against the Clippers. The Pacers certainly are looking for another big-time offensive threat to package with Granger. The truth is that needs to be Mike Dunleavy, but just because Murphy isn’t a player on the level of Dunleavy or Granger doesn’t necessarily make him a liability.

No Danny Granger? A four-game losing streak?

A rough first half?

None of it mattered to Jones in the wake of the Pacers’ 86-73 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in front of 12,356 at Conseco Fieldhouse Wednesday night, a victory that ended a four-game losing streak and came without Granger, the team’s lone All-Star who is day to day with a sprained left knee.

“We have capable players who can step up and make things happen,” Jones said.

Perhaps most notable among those players:

Jones himself, who scored nine of his team-high 18 points in a fourth quarter in which Indiana pulled away from the Clippers over the final eight minutes.

The Pacers (6-7) trailed throughout the first three quarters, and trailed the Clippers (6-10) by 11 early in the second half. They rallied to take a one-point lead in the third quarter, then pulled away shooting 12 of 21 (57.1 percent) and outscoring Los Angeles 31-14 in the fourth period.

The Pacers shot 17.4 percent in the first quarter, but improved thereafter, shooting 43.5 percent in the second quarter and finishing at 37.6 percent. Indiana also scored 18 points on nine second-half Clippers turnovers after scoring two points off five turnovers in the first half

Afterward, Pacers coach Jim O’Brien didn’t mind talking about an ugly victory.

In fast, he said he liked it.

“Winning ugly is probably a great step for your team to know that it has taken,” O’Brien said. “We actually used the word ‘Ugly’ at halftime. We said, ‘We’re missing shots that we’ll make in the second half, and there’s nothing wrong with winning ugly. Just make sure we come out of here with a win.’ ”

Jones, who missed all six of his first-half shots, shot 6 of 13 in the second half and 4 of 6 in the fourth quarter. He hit two critical layups on back-to-back possessions in the period, and made his only 3-point attempt of the period.

“A victory is a good victory,” Jones said. “There are no ugly victories. When you win, you win.”

The Pacers, after allowing 104 or more points in each game of a recent four-game losing streak, held Los Angeles to 29 of 90 shooting (32.2 percent).

“We stepped it up,” Pacers point guard T.J. Ford said. “It was a game where we had to grind it out. We know what we can do defensively. We just have to continue to put it together for four quarters.”

Indiana F Troy Murphy had 10 of his 18 points in the quarter. He started and played 35 minutes in his third game back after missing six games with a back injury. Brandon Rush had 13 points for Indiana, with Luther Head scoring 14 and Ford finishing with 11 points and six assists.

“We broke our losing streak by distributing the ball,” said Jones, who has scored in double figures in 13 of 13 games this season after doing so 11 times last season with Denver. “We did a lot of positive things, keeping the ball moving, distributing the ball well and knocking down our shots. We have capable players that can step up and make things happen.”

O’Brien, who talked extensively about a lack of “force” in a Tuesday loss at Toronto, said the Pacers improved drastically in that area Wednesday. Even when the team was struggling early, O’Brien said the effort and intensity was at the necessary level defensively.

The Pacers’ 12 first-quarter points were their fewest of any quarter this season, and their 34 points were their lowest first-half total of the season.

Yet, despite being outrebounded, 55-52, O’Brien said the team found a way to win a game that hardly started off as the Pacers wanted.

“I’m very proud of our team,” O’Brien said. “We played a game with a lot of adversity around it, and played with a tremendous amount of force on the defensive end.”

The preseason commitment to defense does, too.

Despite a season-high 36 points from F-G Danny Granger, most of which came in a too-little, too-late second-half rally, the recently-hot Pacers fell behind early and could never catch the Toronto Raptors in a 123-112 loss at Air Canada Centre in Toronto Tuesday.

Since a five-game winning streak, the Pacers (5-7) have lost four consecutive games.

“You can’t play one good quarter on the road and expect to win,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien told Pacers.com afterward. “We played with no force in the first half and made it a game in the second half because we did play with force.

“You have to play four quarters on the road and we did not do that.”

The effort came in a game in which O’Brien altered the lineup, with C Jeff Foster starting for the first time this season, replacing Roy Hibbert, who began the game on the bench for the first time this season. O’Brien told the Associated Press it was because he preferred Foster’s defensive quickness.

Pacers.com wrote that Foster in place of Hibbert is not expected to be permanent.

Troy Murphy started at F, and Brandon Rush started at G. With Murphy in the lineup, Granger moved to small forward, moving Dahntay Jones – who has been productive in the early part of the season – to the bench.

“I think Dahntay deserves to start, but I think it’s better for our rotation if Dahntay comes off the bench,” O’Brien told Pacers.com. “Dahntay knows I think he’s a starter.”

The Pacers have allowed more than 100 points in all four losses during the streak. Toronto’s 74 first-half points were its most in a half since 1999, and its 39 first-quarter points was its highest first quarter this season.

The 123 points were the most by a Pacers opponent this season.

“It’s definitely an obstacle for our team,” PG Earl Watson told the Indianapolis Star. “We have to lose ourselves and sacrifice defensively. That means a total focus on just energy and good communication in order to get past this point.”

O’Brien told the Star, “It’s up to the players in the NBA to bring a high level every night, and right now, the last two games we did not bring it. That’s the bottom line. They did nothing that we did not expect.”

The Pacers, after trailing 74-53 at halftime, closed the lead to 97-92 late in the third quarter with a follow dunk by rookie F Tyler Hansbrough. Granger – who finished with seven 3-pointers – had 22 of his 36 points in the second half, and scored 11 of the Pacers’ first 14 third-quarter points.

Granger opened the quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, and a 9-3 run late in the third quarter cut the lead to five.

“It’s irrelevant,” O’Brien said of Granger’s season-high game. “It’s irrelevant. He could’ve had 70 and it’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter.”

The Pacers stayed within range, trailing by eight at the end of the third quarter, and after a pair of 3-pointers by Murphy, they trailed 113-106 with just under seven minutes remaining. Toronto quickly pushed the lead back to 11, with a 3-pointer by former Pacers G Jarrett Jack making it 117-106.

“They shot 55 percent tonight,” Granger told NBA.com. “I don’t even know what to say. We emphasized what we wanted to do. Sometimes we do it and sometimes we don’t and we didn’t do it tonight.”

The Pacers shot 6 of 18 from the floor in the fourth quarter.

Chris Bosh had 16 points and 12 rebounds, for Toronto, while Jose Calderon scored a season-high 21. Jack had 18 for Toronto, and Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu each had 14 points.

Pacers PG T.J. Ford, who played for the Raptors, scored 16 points.

For the third time in four games, the Pacers lost to a team that entered the game struggling. A little more than a week ago, they lost to the Knicks, who entered the game on a six-game losing streak, and this past Sunday, they lost to Charlotte, which entered having lost seven consecutive games.

For the Raptors, the victory over Indiana was their second in six games.

“I thought we played horrible at Charlotte and I think the first half here was just like Charlotte,” O’Brien told NBA.com. “We just did not play with any defensive force and as a result we got pounded.”

Granger told the Indianapolis Star, “We’re Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as a team. We’re two different teams in the first and second half. We dug ourselves too big of a hole and we couldn’t get back. I don’t really know what to tell you. We emphasize what we want to do, and sometimes we do it and sometimes we don’t.”

Also Tuesday:

* O’Brien said F-G Mike Dunleavy, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, could be ready to return “within days,” according to the AP.

Now, they just want to win again.

Their lineup got healthier and bigger, but that didn’t keep the Pacers (5-6) from helping end an extended losing streak for a second time in three games. On Sunday, the Pacers fell behind the Charlotte Bobcats (4-9) early and never recovered, losing 104-88 to the NBA’s lowest-scoring team.

The Bobcats, who entered the game averaging 82.4 points a game, had lost seven consecutive games.

“They controlled the whole game,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien told NBA.com. “They controlled everything. They played with more force that we did all four quarters.

“We just didn’t seem to have an answer.”

Former Pacers F Stephen Jackson, averaging 17.8 points a game since joining Charlotte recently, scored just 10 points, but had seven rebounds, two steals and four assists. Center Nazr Mohammed scored 18 points in 17 for Charlotte, which hadn’t won in 17 days. Last Wednesday, the Knicks beat the Pacers to snap a six-game losing streak, the first game of what is now a three-game Indiana losing streak.

Indiana, which had won five consecutive games after a three-game season-opening losing streak, lost to Cleveland Friday.

The Pacers haven’t won since beating Boston on Saturday, November 15.

“They shut us down,” F Danny Granger, who scored a team-high 18 points, told NBA.com. “We couldn’t even guard them.”

The Pacers shot 41 percent from the floor with 18 turnovers, shooting 5 of 22 from 3-point range and missing their first eight. Indiana never led after the first quarter, and after Charlotte went on a 22-5 first-half run, the Bobcats led 81-60 entering the fourth quarter.

Former North Carolina standout F Tyler Hansbrough, playing his first NBA game in North Carolina, had eight points and six rebounds. Pacers F Dahntay Jones continued to score consistently with 19 points.

C Jeff Foster, out three weeks with a sprained ankle, did not score in his first game back, and F Troy Murphy finished with seven points and eight rebounds in his second game after returning from a back injury.

Also, O’Brien said while F-G Mike Dunleavy (knee) has been cleared to return, it’s not certain he will return this week. “He has not practiced enough fullcourt that we’re comfortable just throwing him out there,” O’Brien told the Associated Press. “When he feels like he’s in NBA shape, then he’ll be back.”

Let LeBron James shoot outside.

SEE SLIDESHOW

Or let him drive inside.

As is often the case with James, neither was a good option Friday night, with the result being not just another dominant performance from James, but a second consecutive late-game disappointment for the Pacers, a team suddenly no longer quite as hot as it was this time last week.

“It’s kind of like pick your poison,” Granger, the Pacers’ All-Star forward, said after James’ 40-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist performance in front of a solid-out crowd of 18,165 at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. “You either let him get to the lane or let him pull up for a jump shot.

“He was really hitting those from the perimeter.”

The poison the Pacers picked late was really one James picked:

A 25-foot 3-point field goal with just under a minute remaining as the shot clock expired with the Cavaliers (9-4) hanging onto a four-point lead they earned by overcoming a five-point deficit at the end of the third quarter.

James converted it for his first 3-point field goal not only of the quarter but the game.

“Sometimes, there’s not a lot you can do when you’re playing one of the premier players in the league,” said Jim O’Brien, who was ejected for the first time as Pacers coach in the first quarter.

Such was the case throughout for the Pacers (5-5), who lost a second consecutive game after a five-game winning streak pushed them two games over .500.

With Granger, who led the Pacers with 19 points and nine rebounds, scoring nine first-quarter points and forward Dahntay Jones scoring 12, Indiana matched an equally hot-starting Cleveland team early. The first quarter ended tied 38-38, and Jones hadn’t missed any of his seven shots.

The Cavaliers pulled ahead, 66-61, at halftime, outrebounding Indiana, 22-15, in the first half and shooting 55.8 percent.

Indiana took a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter and led by 82-77 entering the fourth quarter, but Cleveland rallied quickly to tie it 82-82 a little more than a minute into the period. The Cavaliers, holding the Pacers to 22.2 percent fourth-quarter shooting, shot 52.9 percent in the fourth quarter to pull away.

“Our defense wasn’t that bad down the stretch,” Granger said. “Offensively, we got some decent looks, but they played defense and pushed us to the shot clock.”

The Pacers, who squandered a 19-point lead Wednesday against the Knicks, have made 8 of 35 field goals in their last two fourth quarters.

“Our offense was stagnant and there was a lot of standing around,” Pacers F Troy Murphy said. “We moved the ball well the first three quarters, but not so good in the fourth.”

Granger shot 7 of 21 wirh nine rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots while Jones finished with 17 points and Brandon Rush finished with 16. Point guard T.J. Ford finished with 14 points for the Pacers, who shot just 4 of 18 from 3-point range.

Murphy, after missing six games with a bruised back, returned with a double double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“I felt alright,” Murphy said. “I was kind of rusty at the beginning. But conditioning wasn’t an issue.”

In other Pacers news:

• F-G Mike Dunleavy, out since undergoing knee surgery last March, could return next week, O’Brien said.

• G Travis Diener will miss 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing toe surgery Friday.

• C Jeff Foster, out the last eight games with an ankle injury, said he expects to play against Charlotte in Charlotte Sunday.

The Pacers, one of the NBA’s hottest teams over the last week and a half, started Wednesday the same way. But after Indiana took a 19-point third-quarter lead, the struggling New York Knicks outscored the Pacers 34-17 in the fourth quarter en route to a 110-103 victory in front of 12,258 at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

“It’s definitely a learning experience for us as a growing team,” said Jones, a free-agent forward who scored 10 of his 25 points as Indiana’s lead disappeared in the fourth quarter.

“We have to close out games better than that. No matter how many we won in a row, we should have taken advantage of that situation.”

PHOTO GALLERY | PACERS-KNICKS. HERE

The Pacers (5-4), who beat the Knicks on November 4 in New York for their first victory of the season, lost for the first time since that game. They entered Wednesday night’s game on a five-game winning streak, at the time tied with Cleveland and Atlanta for the NBA’s longest.

The Pacers, who last won five consecutive games in 2004-2005, play host to Cleveland Friday.

“They wore us out in the fourth quarter,” said Pacers coach Jim O’Brien, whose team was playing its first back-to-back of the season having won at New Jersey on Tuesday.

“We tend not to move well in fourth quarter.”

The Knicks outscored the Pacers 27-7 over the last 7:30 and helding Indiana to 4 of 16 fourth-quarter shooting. The Pacers shot 8-of-30 (.267) in the second half after shooting 26 of 44 (.591) in the first.

“Our offense got kind of stagnant and they just outplayed us down the stretch,” Granger said.

Granger’s offense got particularly stagnant in the second half.

And it is in that area that O’Brien said the Pacers need to learn from – and improve on – the most.
Granger, the Pacers’ All-Star forward, scored 30 first-half points on 11 of 14 shooting. He made 5 of 6 first-half 3-point field goals but took just four second-half shots.

“We just overplayed everything he got,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We made him work harder to get the ball. We contested every one of his shots.”

That, O’Brien said, will be the strategy of most teams until the Pacers prove it doesn’t work.

“They did a good job shutting him down,” O’Brien said.

It’s a strategy Boston used successfully in a Pacers victory, but unlike in that game – when the Pacers’ held off Boston with Jones leading a balanced second-half offense – Indiana struggled without production from Granger. Jones scored 13 second-half points, but Indiana shot 24.2 percent in the second half.

“I don’t think they necessarily went after him [Granger],” O’Brien said. “It’s the same thing we saw against Boston. He had a big first half and teams are going to take the attitude, ‘Somebody else is going to beat us.”

Said Granger, “We still should have moved the ball and scored. We turned it over too much. We really couldn’t score the ball tonight.”

The Pacers took a 69-54 halftime lead after a 43-point second quarter in which they shot 76.2 percent from the floor. Granger shot 6-of-7 – 3 of 3 from 3-point range – and finished the quarter with 17 points. The Knicks cut the Pacers lead to 10 entering the fourth period, during which Granger said the Pacers allowed too many easy baskets inside and allowed seven turnovers.

“They were scoring too easily around the bucket,” Granger said. “They hit some threes, and we couldn’t score at the other end. Credit their defense.”

Said Jones, “We had some costly turnovers and we didn’t score much. We got a little stagnant and wore down a little bit. We let them take advantage of the situation.”