NEW YORK — A.J. Price couldn’t help himself. He had to do it.

The Indiana Pacers’ rookie point guard let out a loud yell inside what had been a mellow locker room at Madison Square Garden.

“A victory. It tastes so good,” Price blurted out. “It tastes so good.”

The Pacers can say they’re no longer winless, and not even Danny Granger fouling out could stop them from getting a victory.

The Pacers ended their three-game losing streak when they beat the New York Knicks 101-89 on Wednesday night in front of a crowd that appeared to be more interested in the New York Yankees’ World Series game.

“Finally,” Granger said. “The first one is always the hardest one, unless you get it in the first game. I’m glad we got it over with.”

Two unlikely sources played a significant part in the Pacers’ victory.

The Pacers picked up their defensive intensity in the second half and point guard T.J. Ford carried the offense late in the game.

Stopping the easy pick-and-roll plays Knicks point guard Chris Duhon ran in the first half, Roy Hibbert and Solomon Jones jumped out and made it difficult for Duhon to get into the lane or dish off to an open teammate.

The run-and-gun Knicks shot 28 percent in the second half, including just 11.8 percent (2-of-17) in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers held the Knicks without a field goal for the final 9 minutes, 21 seconds.

“Roy and Solomon started to become more aggressive defending pick-and-rolls and we started to get our hands on more balls,” said Pacers coach Jim O’Brien, who didn’t crack his first smile until 30 seconds were left in the game.

Hibbert, who didn’t pick up a foul, helped out offensively, as well. He had 15 points and 14 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

The Pacers had to play the final 3:38 without Granger, who fouled out after picking up an offensive foul underneath the basket with the Pacers leading 91-87.

Granger finished with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting.

Ford put his miserable start of the season behind him during the final three-plus minutes.

With the Pacers leading 93-87, Ford went on a stretch in which he scored eight straight points, including a tough 12-foot jumper over Duhon.

Ford’s final two points — a pair of free throws — put the Pacers up 99-89 with 28.6 seconds left.

“T.J. came off the bench and was outstanding for us,” O’Brien said. “We went exclusively to him down the stretch and he produced big for us.”

Ford, who has spent a significant amount of time on the bench in the second half this season, scored 12 of his 16 points after halftime.

“It was something I needed for my own self,” Ford said. “I haven’t been playing the type of basketball I’m capable of playing. I think this is something that can help me confidence wise, playing wise.”

Dahntay Jones (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Brandon Rush (12 points, 10 rebounds) also registered double-doubles in a game in which O’Brien only used an eight-man rotation. Ex-Pacer Al Harrington led the Knicks with 22 points.

“A gutsy, gutsy effort by our ballclub,” O’Brien said. “We just kept the tempo. Our guys are in terrific condition to be able to play that hard in the second half of back-to-back nights.”