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Apparently the number 36 holds special meaning for Indiana Pacers swingman Mike Dunleavy; every time he scores 36 points, the team he is on usually wins.? Monday night’s contest against the New York Knicks would prove no different as he tied a career high for the fourth time this season, scoring 36 points, leading the Pacers to a relatively easy win over the Knicks at Conseco Fieldhouse.

As big as Dunleavy’s points were, the Pacers’ defense was very impressive, holding New York to 37% shooting and finally held an opponent to under 100 points for the first time since the All-Star break.? Indiana led at halftime 60-56, but the Knicks’ Wilson Chandler drained a trey to tie the game at 68 midway through the third quarter; New York would take a 72-70 lead on Chandler’s put-back of a missed shot. A key moment would be?when the Pacers’ Dunleavy would score 9 points in the final 2:35 of the period to help Indiana take the lead going into the fourth quarter, 81-79.

Indiana’s Danny Granger would score 9 points during a Pacers 14-5 run that gave them the lead 98-89; minutes later, Dunleavy drove through traffic made a floater to give the Pacers a 102–91 lead, essentially sealing the win.? Indiana was led by the aforementioned Dunleavy with 36 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots, while Granger had a solid game, scoring 26 with 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot.? Troy Murphy recorded a double-double, adding 13 with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

New York’s leading scorer was Zach Randolph with 21 points – including 3 treys – 14 rebounds and 2 steals, while Jamal Crawford scored 16 with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal; Chandler added 15 with 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot in a losing effort.? Indiana (26-41), still within striking distance of the 8th and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, flies to Charlotte to take on the Bobcats Wednesday, while New York (19-48) travels south to Tennessee to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.