NEW YORK - Isiah Thomas' old team ran into his new one, and the team he now runs outplayed the one he formerly coached.
Two of Thomas' acquisitions, Penny Hardaway and Stephon Marbury, made several big plays down the stretch Tuesday night to lead the Knicks past the Pacers 97-90, ending Indiana's three-game winning streak.
This was a measuring-stick game for the Knicks as they try to climb into the postseason, and they gave one of their better performances of Thomas' six-week tenure as team president.
Hardaway had 14 points, including a clinching jumper with 17.2 seconds remaining, and Marbury had 23 and eight assists. Keith Van Horn outplayed Ron Artest at small forward and had 20 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
Artest had 19 points for the Pacers, who were coached by Thomas the past three seasons but who was fired by new team president Larry Bird.
Meantime, New York lost its leading scorer when guard Allan Houston was placed on the injured list with a sore left knee.
CAVALIERS 85, PISTONS 82: Carlos Boozer helped make up for LeBron James' poor shooting performance with 21 points and 15 rebounds to lead visiting Cleveland. Hours after learning he was passed over for the All-Star Game, James was 5-of-19 for 12 points. Boozer made two free throws with 8.9 seconds left, after grabbing an offensive rebound off one of James' many missed shots, to give Cleveland the lead for good.
RAPTORS 93, SIXERS 80: Vince Carter had 15 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help visiting Toronto end a two-game losing skid. Donyell Marshall added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Allen Iverson had 36 points to lead the Sixers, who have lost nine of 11.
MAVERICKS 107, WARRIORS 93: Michael Finley scored 23 and reserve Antawn Jamison added 20 and 12 rebounds as host Dallas extended its winning streak over Golden State to 20 games.
KINGS 117, SONICS 101: Brad Miller scored 14 of his 25 in the third quarter and Peja Stojakovic had 26 points as Sacramento won its fourth straight and improved to 22-3 this season at Arco Arena.
ALL-STAR RESERVES: LeBron James missed the cut in voting, finishing behind Eastern guards Paul Pierce, Michael Redd, Baron Davis and Jason Kidd.
"Not making it just tells me I've got to work harder," said James, one of four in the league averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Also selected by league coaches for the East were New Orleans' Jamaal Magloire, Indiana's Ron Artest and New Jersey's Kenyon Martin.
Selected for the West were the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Sacramento's Peja Stojakovic and Brad Miller, Minnesota's Sam Cassell, Utah's Andrei Kirilenko and Seattle's Ray Allen.
