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INDIANAPOLIS -- Lance Stephenson savors each opportunity he gets to beat up on his hometown teams -- especially when the Pacers are winning. On Thursday night, Indianas flamboyant guard had a big night on national television. Stephenson had a career-high 28 points, four rebounds and four assists and led the Pacers to their second-most lopsided win of the season, 117-89 over the Knicks. "If hes flashy, hes being flashy making basketball coach," coach Frank Vogel said. "One of our assistants said, Boy, I wish I had Lances energy every day. His competitive spirit is as high as anyone weve coached." Stephenson has been playing this way all season. He leads the NBA with three triple-doubles, the most of any Pacers player since Detlef Schrempf in 1992-93. With any luck, hed have a couple of more, too. And after a nasty crossover or spectacular move to the basket, he might show off some of that New York flair by wiggling his hips. But the Nets and Knicks seem to bring out the best in the Brooklyn native. This time, on a night that may serve as an audition for the All-Star selectors, he showed the whole basketball world what he could do. Stephenson went 10 of 17 from the field, 5 of 5 from the free-throw line, 3 of 7 on 3-pointers and had no turnovers in 28 minutes. His previous scoring high (26) came Dec. 23 in a 103-86 win at Brooklyn, and before this season, Stephenson had scored 22 points just two times -- once against Chicago in April 2012; the other, of course, came at Madison Square Garden last spring. Even a former Indiana University basketball star like Mike Woodson, who was drilled in defence under Bob Knight, came away impressed. "Youve really got to tip your hat to him," the Knicks coach said. "We had no answers for him." That has been a league-wide problem for Pacers foes, and not just against Stephenson. Indiana won its third straight to maintain its grip on the NBAs best record, extend its Eastern Conference lead over Miami to four games and continue its claim to the leagues best home record, 20-1. The Pacers arent slowing down, either. They beat Washington by 27 on Friday, Sacramento by 24 on Tuesday and handed what was one of the leagues hottest teams its most embarrassing road loss of the season. For the most part, Indiana has relied on its staunch defence. Stephenson and Paul George have suddenly given Indiana a devastating offensive punch, too. George added 25 points and seven rebounds on a night six players scored in double figures. The Pacers produced season highs for total points and points in a half (63) for the second straight game, and they even heeded the advice of team president Larry Bird, by cutting down their turnovers to a season-low five. "We have set a goal, and we want to be the No. 1 seed (in the East)," Stephenson said. "Every night I try to bring something to the table." The Knicks just couldnt keep up. Carmelo Anthony finished with 28 points, nine in the first six minutes and 18 in the first quarter when it was still a game. Tyson Chandler had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith each had 12. Smith played nearly 28 minutes after being benched in two of the Knicks previous four games. "Theyre a good team, but I dont think theyre 30 points better than our team," Woodson said after the rematch of last springs conference semifinals, which Indiana also won. "We were awful." Things started well for New York as Anthony pushed them to a 16-8 lead. But the Pacers rallied with an 11-2 run to take a 28-26 lead. Anthony bailed out the Knicks with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it 31-30 after one. Indiana seized control with an 11-1 spurt midway through the second quarter and pulled away late in the first half with a 16-7 run. That made it 63-48 at halftime. George opened the second half by scoring 10 points in a 15-8 spurt, which made it 78-56, and Stephenson closed it out as the Knicks couldnt get closer than 16 the rest of the way. "We understand how good we are when we run," George said. "I think thats the best way to put and the biggest way to look at it." NOTES: Kenyon Martin left in the second quarter and Amare Stoudemire followed him to the locker room in the third quarter. Both had sprained left ankles and did not return. ... Former Pacers All-Star Metta World Peace was inactive in New Yorks only regular-season game in Indianapolis. ... Fans chanted "Reg-gie, Reg-gie" when former Pacers star turned TV analyst Reggie Miller was shown on the overhead screen during the fourth quarter. ... Indiana has won four straight home games against the Knicks. Wholesale Air Max Shoes .ca. Mr. Fraser, I think everyone would like to hear your opinion on what sort of suspension Zac Rinaldo should get. 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Argos general manager Jim Barker uttered those words during an interview with TSN 1050 radio just prior to the CFLs annual free agent frenzy.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in the NBA, announced Wednesday his retirement from the league.The 35-year-old Collins made the announcement in a first-person story for Sports Illustrated. Its the same forum he used in April, 2013, to publicly reveal his sexuality and become the first openly gay man in any of the four major North American professional leagues.He joined the Brooklyn Nets in February and played 22 games for the team, but was not on the roster this season.It feels wonderful to have been part of these milestones for sports and for gay rights, and to have been embraced by the public, the coaches, the players, the league and history, Collins wrote.Collins started his career with the New Jersey Nets in 2001 and rejoined the franchise in Brooklyn. Nets spokesman Aaron Harris said Collins is expected to address the media at the Barclays Center on Wednesday night before the Nets game with the Milwaukee BucksBucks coach Jason Kidd was Brooklyns coach last year, and Collins singled him out for the courage he showed in bringing him on board.It had been argued that no team would want tto take on a player who was likely to attract a media circus from the outset and whose sexuality would be a distraction, he wrote.dddddddddddd Im happy to have helped put those canards to rest.Collins wore No. 98 during his final seasons in the league— 1998 was year that Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming — was killed.Collins said his most poignant moment came during his third game back last season, when he met Shepards family in Denver.Following Collins revelation, Missouri defensive end Michael Sam came out in February and was drafted by the NFLs St. Louis Rams. He was later cut by the Rams and was released from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad last month.In April, University of Massachusetts guard Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay player in Division I mens basketball.But Collins noted Wednesday that there are still no openly gay players in the NFL, NHL or major league baseball.He wrote that someday, when we get to the point where hes not compelled to hide his true self and is able to live an authentic life, being a gay athlete wont be a big deal.But were not there yet, he said. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '