The Pacers (22-14) have won 12 of 15 and have swept the other two Eastern Conference division leaders — Miami and the Knicks — this week.

New York (23-12) was led by J.R. Smith with 25 points and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 15 rebounds, but they clearly missed Anthony’s presence. The NBA’s second-leading scorer was banned by the league for Monday’s postgame confrontation with Boston’s Kevin Garnett.

Without Anthony, one of the league’s highest-scoring and best shooting teams, hardly resembled itself. New York finished with a season-low point total, nine fewer than its previous low, and shot just 34.8 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range.

But Smith kept the Knicks close for three quarters.

After falling behind 49-38 early in the third quarter, Smith scored eight points during a 13-3 run that got the Knicks to 52-51. And he closed the quarter by scoring the last four points to give the Knicks a 60-58 lead.

That’s when George poured it on.

He drove in for a layup, then stole the ball and drove in for a dunk to tie the score at 62. After Gerald Green’s 3-pointer broke the tie and Ian Mahinmi hit a 20-foot jumper, George came up with another steal and layup. Mahinmi finished the run with a dunk that gave Indiana a 71-62 lead with just under 5 minutes to play.

The Pacers never trailed again, and the Knicks never seriously challenged again.

Indiana won despite playing without the still injured Danny Granger, losing Roy Hibbert twice with a back injury and with George Hill playing with bronchitis.

New York lost Marcus Camby in the second half after he re-injured his left foot, and Amare Stoudemire played 21 minutes, 31 seconds after doctors told coach Mike Woodson to limit his playing time. Stoudemire is trying to work his way back from surgery on his left knee.

But it was a game that was definitely played at the Pacers tempo.

After New York jumped to an 11-4 lead in the first 5 1/2 minutes, the Knicks managed only three points the rest of the quarter. Indiana led 16-14 after one.

Things weren’t much better the second quarter. After New York closed to 24-23 with 6:27 to go, the Pacers extended the lead to 39-31. Jason Kidd’s 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left, New York’s first 3 of the game, made cut the deficit to 39-34 at the half.

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Neither Woodson nor Stoudemire termed the latest development a “setback” in Stoudemire’s attempt to return from Oct. 31 left knee surgery.

“He was probably a little sore and that’s probably the reason for (limiting his minutes). So I’ve got to be open-minded to that and do what’s asked. That’s the right thing to do,” Woodson said after practice Wednesday.

The coach added that he “shouldn’t have” played Stoudemire 28 minutes in the Knicks’ 102-96 loss to the Celtics. That was a season-high for Stoudemire, who has played four games since coming back from the debridement procedure.

Stoudemire admitted that he felt “a little bit sore” after the Boston game but, like Woodson, downplayed the notion that he has suffered a setback.

“I feel great,” said Stoudemire, who’s averaging 10 points and 2.3 rebounds in 20 minutes through four games. “I just think we’re taking a precautionary route. Just making sure that everything [continues] to improve. I think that’s about it, really. No setbacks, no re-injury, anything like that. I feel great.”

Stoudemire played between 17 and 21 minutes in his first three games and logged 28 against Boston, when he was on the floor for most of the fourth quarter.

Woodson said Stoudemire would play between 20 and 23 minutes Thursday at Indiana. He will come off the bench for the Knicks (23-11), just as he’s done in the previous four games. Stoudemire’s status for Friday’s game against Chicago is uncertain because it’s the second game of a back-to-back.

“This is a long haul, guys. I’m not going to sit here and jeopardize STAT’s situation,” Woodson said. “I feel good about what we have with [Marcus] Camby and Kurt [Thomas] and if doctors are saying that we have to limit him, then that’s what we have to do.”

Any issue regarding Stoudemire’s knee is treated with caution because he has a history of knee ailments. He had microfracture surgery on his left knee in 2005. He recovered well from that procedure, but the knee is still considered vulnerable. He also has had a procedure on his right knee.

Most teams were scared off by Stoudemire’s history of knee ailments during summer 2010, when he was a free agent. The Knicks signed the former Phoenix Suns player to a five-year, $100 million contract, but the deal was uninsured because of the condition of Stoudemire’s knees.

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