(SportsNetwork.com) - The Indiana Pacers are fighting for their playoff lives and will pay a visit to the New York Knicks Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
The Pacers are one game behind Boston for the eighth and final playoff spot with five to go and Miami is in between at a half-game off the pace.
Indiana has won two straight after losing back-to-back games and recorded a 112-89 beating of the Heat Easter Sunday.
Paul George made his anticipated season debut and scored 13 points in under 15 minutes. George was sidelined up until Sunday after recovering from a broken leg during a Team USA scrimmage in August.
"Right now he's working himself in, trying to get his confidence. His vision is to be as good as he can be next year, but he looked pretty good tonight," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said of George.
Luis Scola scored 23 points with 12 rebounds off the bench, Solomon Hill chipped in 19 points and C.J. Miles added 17 by making five of Indiana's 14 3- pointers. Indiana owned a 55-37 rebounding advantage.
The Pacers are 13-25 on the road and will visit Detroit on Friday. They have lost three straight and five of the last six road games.
On the injury front for Indiana, guards Rodney Stuckey (wrist) and C.J. Watson (elbow) are questionable Wednesday night.
In off the court news, Pacers forward Chris Copeland was stabbed and his wife slashed by a knife in a New York City nightclub, according to the New York Daily News. A fracas reportedly broke out after an argument erupted outside 1 OAK club on West 17th Street shortly before 4 a.m.
The man who was arrested, Shezoy Bleary, 22, pulled out a knife and stabbed Copeland in the abdomen and slashed 28-year-old Katrine Saltara, described by investigators as Copeland's wife, in the arm and leg, sources told the paper.
Two Atlanta Hawks players, Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha, were reportedly arrested early Wednesday morning for trying to prevent police from setting up a crime scene.
Meanwhile, the Knicks stopped a nine-game losing streak with a 101-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Easter Sunday in the opener of a three-game homestand.
Andrea Bargnani scored 25 points with eight rebounds and four blocks, while Shane Larkin recorded 15 points, 11 boards and seven assists. Lance Thomas scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Knicks, who made 51.4 percent of their shots and had a 49-36 rebounding advantage.
"He can score points, but if he's rebounding that way ... that's what really makes us a better team," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said of Bargnani.
New York snapped a five-game home skid and improved to 10-28 on the season at Madison Square Garden. It will close the homestand Friday versus Milwaukee.
The Knicks are 0-3 against the Pacers this season and have lost six of the previous seven matchups between the teams.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.