Chuck Person, Wayman Tisdale and a young Reggie Miller ran
the floor the last time the Indiana Pacers opened a season with four straight
losses. Now its up to Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and Roy Hibbert to try and
avoid a flashback when the Pacers visit the New York Knicks tonight at Madison
Square Garden.
Indiana lost its first nine games of the 1988-89 campaign and just matched the
1996-97 squad with its third straight setback to start the season. In
Tuesday's 111-93 setback versus the mighty Denver Nuggets, Dahntay Jones
scored 20 points off the bench and Granger added 18 points in defeat.
Hibbert netted 14 points and grabbed a career-high 12 boards in the setback.
"We did not win the ball game," said Hibbert. "Personal stats have a very good
meaning when you win."
Indiana will open a three-game homestand versus the Wizards, Warriors and
Celtics after tonight's showdown in the Big Apple. In injury news for the
Pacers, Murphy left Tuesday's game with a back problem and is questionable for
Wednesday.
New York avoided an 0-4 start by handing the New Orleans Hornets a 117-111
loss on Monday in the second installment of a four-game homestand.
David Lee had 28 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost the
first three games of the season. Al Harrington added 24 points and eight
boards off the bench, while Larry Hughes ended with 20 and six boards.
"We've been finishing games strong," Hughes said. "We just haven't had that
good start that we need to sustain runs and things like that. We got that good
start tonight and we were able to hold those guys off when they made runs. We
can make runs at anytime, so getting off to that good start helps."
The Knicks won two of three meetings with Indiana a season ago, but the Pacers
are 8-3 in the previous 11 meetings between the teams. Indiana has won six of
eight trips to MSG.
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