Nate, Knicks "Shake and Bake" Their Way to Thrilling Win

Nate Robinson extended out his hand for a "shake and bake" fist pound towards actor Will Ferrell"s direction after putting the Knicks up 10 in the third quarter. It was the third time Robinson acknowledged his celebrity idol during a scoring surge that jumpstarted his best half of the season.

The 5-foot-9 guard has been playing great ball over the past few weeks, but having one of his mentors in attendance might have given him some extra motivation.

Robinson poured in 32 of his a season-high 41 points in the second half, including the game-winning layup with 26 seconds left, to lead the Knicks to a 123-119 victory over the Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

The game-ball went to none other than - you guessed it - Ferrell, who was sitting courtside as Robinson hit the game's final field goal on a spectacular play. So did the green jersey Robinson wore in the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest after the Knicks surpassed last season's win total with their 24th victory of the season.

"I watch all his movies and I'm a big fan," said Robinson, who also pulled in eight rebounds for his good friend. "I got the game-ball for him and everything and I'll send it to him because I forgot to give it to him after the game. I threw it to Al (Harrington), I don't know why because I should have gave it to Will."

Maybe Harrington should have been second in line for the ball after playing the role of Robinson's sidekick for the final 24 minutes. The starting forward scored 16 of his 27 points in the second half and helped the Knicks hold off the Pacers for nearly the entire fourth quarter with several clutch jumpers every time Indiana made a run.

But Jarrett Jack, who hit the game-winning bucket the last time Indiana was in town, calmly drained two free throws with a minute left to give the Pacers their first lead since Robinson began his scoring burst midway through the third quarter. But this time, Robinson made sure he was the one to win the game.

After responding with a pair of his own clutch free throws, Robinson picked off a baseline inbounds pass and drove the floor for the acrobatic game-winner. He then hit two more free throws to seal the win with 16 seconds left.

"I knew Jarrett Jack was trying to come in and screen and pop out and I just denied him and was watching - he overthrew him and I ran and got the ball," Robinson said of the winning play. "I was like, 'He's not stopping me from getting the layup,' I knew this was a bucket that we needed."

Robinson's extraordinary scoring nights are beginning to be a common theme for the Knicks since right before he brought his second dunking title back to New York last week. He has eclipsed the 30-point mark in four of his last six games and is averaging 30.0 points during the stretch.

Another streak to note is David Lee's league-leading 45 double-doubles. With 20 points and 13 rebounds, he has recorded 20 straight to become the third Knick since the 1954-55 season to accomplish the feat. He is one double-double shy of tying Jerry Lucas for the second longest streak in franchise history.