NBA PLAYOFF ROUNDUP : Knicks Beat Pacers, Take 2-0 Series Lead

Trailing the Indiana Pacers by 16 points in the first half and by 11 at halftime, the New York Knicks knew their fans were worried.

“We talked at halftime about how the fans probably were thinking that this was going to be another 1-1 series,” point guard Doc Rivers said after New York rallied for a 101-91 victory over Indiana Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

With the victory, the Knicks became the first of three teams to take a 2-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs after four series were tied, 1-1, Saturday. Game 3 of the best-of-five matchup between the first- and eighth-seeded teams in the Eastern Conference will be Tuesday night at Indianapolis.

“Whether you’re a No. 8 seed or a first seed, you’ve got to play your best,” Knick Coach Pat Riley said.

Indiana, whose 41-41 regular-season record was 19 games worse than New York’s, certainly played their best in the first half, putting the Knicks’ 21-game home winning streak in jeopardy.

The Knicks, who blew a 19-point lead in the first game before holding on to win, rallied in Game 2 behind John Starks, who had playoff career highs of 29 points and 11 assists, and Patrick Ewing, who scored 25 points despite being limited to 31 minutes because of foul trouble.

Rik Smits scored a playoff career-high 29 points and Reggie Miller had 25 for the Pacers, who are still looking for their first series victory in the NBA playoffs. They are playing in the postseason for the sixth time.

Chicago 117, Atlanta 102--Michael Jordan scored 29 points and Scottie Pippen added 25 at Chicago, leading the two-time champion Bulls to a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Jordan hit a 45-footer at the first-half buzzer to open a 56-49 lead and the Bulls built on it with a 15-7 run to open the second half for a 71-56 lead that wasn’t challenged.

Dominique Wilkins led the Hawks with 37 points and Kevin Willis had 26.

Pippen, B.J. Armstrong and Bill Cartwright scored Chicago’s first 15 points in the second half before Armstrong and Jordan sank three-pointers as the Bulls cruised to an 85-70 lead going into the final period.

They made it 90-70 before the Hawks put on a nine-point run led by Wilkins, but Jordan converted a three-point play to halt the run.

Utah 89, Seattle 85--Karl Malone scored 26 points, eight in the final six minutes, as the Jazz gained the home-court advantage in its first-round playoff series with the SuperSonics at Seattle.

The Jazz, beaten 99-85 in the opener Thursday night in a game in which Malone was outplayed by Seattle’s Shawn Kemp, got crucial final-minute baskets from Mark Eaton and Malone.

Gary Payton led the Sonics with 19 points, but Kemp, who outscored Malone, 29-24, in the opener, was held to 13.

The Jazz, who went to the Western Conference finals last year but slipped from 55 to 47 regular-season victories this year, trailed, 74-71, after a basket by Ricky Pierce with 6:13 to play. Utah outscored the Sonics, 18-11, the rest of the way.