The Pacers (15–54) limped into Madison Square Garden on a 13-game losing streak, but they always bring the fire against the Knicks (45*-25). After Indy shot brilliantly through the first half, they crashed back to Earth in the second. Behind Josh Hart’s 33 points, a Knicks career high, our heroes celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a 136-110 win.
Starting the 35th game of his career, Jose Alvarado (16 PTS, 10 AST, 2 STL, 4-of-7 3PT) covered for the absent Jalen Brunson, nursing a sore neck. Alvarado had
shot poorly since going off against Philly in February, but swished his first two attempts from yard. His energy powered the offense, and he logged three assists and a steal before yielding the floor to Tyler Kolek. Indiana countered with T.J. McConnell (10 PTS, 10 AST) in its starting five, filling in for Andrew Nembhard (who’s been filling in for Tyrese Haliburton all season).
Karl-Anthony Towns (22 PTS, 11 RBS, 2-of-7 3PT) scored early, but Josh Hart set the tone—back-to-back steals on Jarace Walker (16 PTS), a pull-up jumper, and a putback through contact ignited the Knicks. OG Anunoby (26 PTS, 8 RBS, 10-of-13 FG) carried the scoring load with a layup and two threes on his way to 15 points in the quarter. Mikal Bridges (10 PTS, 5 AST, 4-of-12 FG) quietly dished four assists, even if he took a while to score. He turned an ankle on a missed layup, and for a moment, his 626-game iron man streak seemed briefly in jeopardy.
The Pacers made their first four three-pointers, while the Knicks went 5-of-7 to go ahead 27-20 late in the first quarter. Thrice the Knicks pushed their lead to seven, and thrice the Pacers answered. OAKAAKUYOAK Obi Toppin (15 PTS) led Indiana with seven points off the bench. When the buzzer rang, the Knicks were ahead 38-34, having shot 5-of-9 from deep and allowing Indiana to shoot 5-of-8.
The quarter opened with Anunoby knocking down another three, but Indiana swung back. Walker hit from deep, Quenton Jackson attacked the paint, and McConnell kept the beat as the Pacers found a groove. Towns worked the glass and got to the line but missed a few easy looks, while Bridges still couldn’t get his burner lit. Indiana took advantage, with Keita Brown and Aaron Nesmith (14 PTS) hitting threes to claim a six-point lead midway through the frame.
Quoth Jaybugkit, “Incredible game for Josh.” Yessir! Hart swung the momentum late in the second quarter. He hit a three to stop the bleeding, then added another late, standing out as the Knicks’ most impactful player. Alvarado pushed the pace with a string of assists and a timely three off a steal, while Bridges finally connected, chipping in a late jumper. Indiana got buckets from Nesmith, Jackson, and Sheppard, but couldn’t string together stops. When intermission arrived, the hosts had gone ahead, 72-64.
Through the half, Indiana shot 63% from the field and 61% from three, while the Knicks had shot 56% and 55%. The home team had won the glass 21-18 and turned the ball over just three times. Hart led all scorers with 19 points at the half, and Alvarado had 13 points and seven assists. For the Pacers, Kobe Brown and Aaron Nesmith had 11 points each.
To start the second half, New York surrendered five easy points, and Mike Brown called a timeout after just a minute. From there, the Knicks straightened up, going on a 19-10 run and gradually extending their advantage to 17. Hart, having his best offensive game of the season, had made 12 of his first 13 shots, 5-of-5 from deep, and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line before sitting late in the third. His 33 points were the most he’d scored in his career as a Knick.
Indiana’s hot first-half shooting cooled, and an excess of turnovers cost them. Furthermore, most of the Knicks were enjoying the freedom of a half-hearted Hoosier defense. Anunoby chipped in a dunk and a transition finish, and both he and Towns eclipsed 20 points.
The middle stretch bogged down with misses and turnovers. Indiana’s bench briefly supplied some offense with a dunk from Jay Huff, a putback by Sheppard, and a triple from Toppin, but they couldn’t cut their deficit to single digits. With three quarters gone, New York sat on a comfortable 105-91 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Mitchell Robinson (8 PTS, 8 RBS) spanked the Pacers’ frontcourt. Indiana had their opportunities to climb back into the game (Toppin drilled a trey, Walker got to the line), but they packed it in early. For the Knicks, Towns and Anunoby added to their point totals, Jordan Clarkson made his way to 10 points, and Bridges swished two encouraging threes. The lead reached 27 points. Around the middle of the period, Coach Brown sent in Jordan Clarkson, Jeremy Sochan, Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, Mohamed Diawara, and Kevin McCullar, Jr. to finish it off.
Up Next
New York takes the subway to Brooklyn on Friday for a night with the Nets. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.
* Should be one more, but NBA Cups have leaks.
