NEW YORK — Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points and Amare Stoudemire tallied 21 as the resurgent New York Knicks opened the Phil Jackson era with their seventh-straight win Wednesday. Jackson got his first look at the Knicks in just his second day on the job and they didn't disappoint their new president as they beat the first-place Indiana Pacers 92-86. The 68-year-old Jackson received a standing ovation at Madison Square Garden during the pre-game introductions and it just got better from there for the crowd of 19,812. New York took the lead halfway through the opening quarter and they never lost it after that. “With a guy like that around it creates a winning atmosphere that's pretty golden and we've got to capitalize on that,” Stoudemire said. Center Tyson Chandler helped their late season National Basketball Association playoff push with a game-high 14 rebounds in the win. Lance Stephenson tallied 21 points and nine rebounds and Roy Hibbert finished with 20 points for the Pacers, who had their four-game win streak halted. Indiana star Paul George was held to 17 points on four-of-17 shooting from the field. The Pacers also went five-of-23 from beyond the arc. The Knicks are now just four games back of Atlanta for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot with 14 contests to go. The Knicks were knocked out of the playoffs last year by Indiana. “Bringing Phil back is huge for this franchise,” coach Mike Woodson said of Jackson who won two titles with the Knicks as a player and 11 as a head coach with Los Angeles and Chicago. Jackson, who signed a five-year deal, wouldn't commit to a timeline on how long it would take to reverse the Knicks' fortunes. New York hasn't won an NBA title since 1973 and last made the league finals in 1999. Anthony's future status with the Knicks is uncertain after he said before Jackson's hiring that he might test the free agent market after the season. Celtics 101, Heat 96 The Boston Celtics took advantage of LeBron James' absence caused by back spasms by beating Miami 101-96 to end a five-game losing streak.The victory gave Boston (23-46) a 2-1 win in the season series after the teams split two games in Miami. Boston's Avery Bradley scored 23 points, while Dwyane Wade led the Heat (46-20) with 17 points, but he shot just 2-for-9 from the floor in the second half. Timberwolves 123, Mavericks 122 (OT) Desperate to remain relevant in the Western Conference playoff hunt, the Minnesota Timberwolves hung on for dear life in an overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Kevin Love finished with a game-high 35 points and hit the game-winner with 17.1 seconds left, stepping between two defenders and sinking a one-handed wrister. Dirk Nowitzki had 27 for Dallas. The Timberwolves (34-32) are 5 1/2 games behind the Mavericks and the Memphis Grizzlies, who are tied for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference. Grizzlies 96, Jazz 86 Zach Randolph scored 21 points and Marc Gasol added 20 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to victory over the Utah Jazz. The Grizzlies (40-27) earned their eighth consecutive home win and their fifth straight victory over Utah at FedExForum. The Jazz (22-47) lost their sixth straight and fell to 8-28 on the road. Nuggets 118, Pistons 109 Aaron Brooks scored a season-high 27 points and dished out a career-high 17 assists, and the Denver Nuggets overcame the absence of two starters to beat the struggling Detroit Pistons. The game featured two ailing teams. Detroit (25-42) center Andre Drummond was out with a neck injury while the Nuggets were missing two of their best players. Guard Ty Lawson (sinus infection) and forward Wilson Chandler (hip) were out, leaving Denver (31-37) looking very much like a roster that lost eight of nine last month. Other results: Raptors 107, Pelicans 100; Bulls 102, 76ers 94; Nets 104, Bobcats 99; Spurs 125, Lakers 109; Suns 109, Magic 93. — Agencies
