The Knicks will look to make it six wins in seven games on Saturday night when they visit the Indiana Pacers, who will be seeking their eighth straight victory at Conseco Fieldhouse.

New York (20-25) was nine games below .500 after a home loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 17, but coach Mike D'Antoni's team has played its best basketball of the season over the last two weeks. The Knicks have won five of six - the loss came in their only road game - and are just a half-game behind Milwaukee for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

"Fans just want ... people to care, and these players, they care and they are trying," D'Antoni said. "If we fall short, it won't be for lack of effort."

Center David Lee has been quite productive in that stretch, averaging 18.2 points and 13.2 rebounds, but it's been Nate Robinson who's really given New York a boost offensively. The diminutive guard is averaging 19.5 points in his last six games, and had a team-high 24 in 24 minutes in the Knicks' 112-104 win over Atlanta on Wednesday.

"He has an energy that not many people have," D'Antoni said of Robinson, averaging just 7.2 points in five games in Indiana. "An athleticism that is unbelievable. When it is channeled in the right direction, he is one of the better players.

"Then he has these other moments where he goes with a different plan. When he was in a mini-slump, that is why we struggled."

The five straight home wins are New York's most since a seven-game run from Jan. 26-March 2, 2007. If the Knicks are going to extend their streak next week, they'll have to earn it. Starting Monday, they'll be back at MSG for a homestand against teams with the three best records in the league - the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston and Cleveland.

New York is 14-9 at home, but just 6-16 on the road.

The Pacers (19-28), meanwhile, are in last place in the Central Division, but at Conseco they're 13-9 - a record bolstered by wins over the Lakers and Celtics.

Indiana made it seven in a row at home on Friday against Miami, and it was a big second quarter that made the difference. Leading by three after the first, the Pacers outscored the Heat 37-23 over the next 12 minutes and went on to a 114-103 victory.

Danny Granger, named to his first All-Star team on Thursday, had 19 points after missing one game with a sore right knee. Granger, though, was overshadowed by Mike Dunleavy, who had a season-high 30.

"When he shoots the ball like that, we're going to be hard to beat," Granger said. "I sat on the bench and enjoyed."

The Knicks don't need any additional reminders to keep close track of Dunleavy. The forward missed Indiana's 105-103 win in New York on Jan. 2, but scored a career high-tying 36 points in three of four meetings against the Knicks in 2007-08 - all Pacer wins.

Dunleavy has scored 36 five times, all coming last season.