The New York Knicks’ regular-season finale against the visiting Indiana Pacers on Sunday is going as planned for head coach Tom Thibodeau’s team.
The No. 1 spot has been won by New York (47-34) 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, will face the No. 1 team in the playoffs in the first round. Cleveland Cavaliers, fourth-seed In order to prepare for the series, the Knicks have rested several regulars.
The Knicks played without Mitchell Robinson (rest), Jalen Brunson (hand), and Julius Randle (ankle) in Friday’s 113-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Knicks’ five-game winning streak was ended by the loss, but Thibodeau stated that he is more concerned with keeping his team on track heading into the postseason.
Immanuel Quickley, a starter for the Knicks, made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points in the team’s loss to the Pelicans, strengthening his case for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. In six of his last seven contests, Quickley has scored at least 22 points.
RJ Barrett returned following a two-game nonattendance because of sickness and driven New York with 28 places. New York lost subsequent to permitting the Pelicans to shoot 53.2 percent.
After winning the previous three meetings, including a 138-129 victory on Wednesday, the Knicks are aiming to sweep Indiana (34-47) for the season.
The Pacers have been resting several rotation players, including Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) and Myles Turner (ankle), since they were mathematically eliminated from contention for the playoffs on Sunday.
In the Pacers’ 122-115 defeat to the Detroit Pistons on Friday, Buddy Hield scored 22 points and made five 3-pointers. This season, Hield has made a career-high 283 3-pointers, totaling 1,700.
Carlisle has given really playing time to youthful players Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson as of late. In the defeat to Detroit on Friday, the two scored 31 points together. In addition, Jackson grabbed seven rebounds and stopped three shots.
Mathurin has started the Pacers’ last ten games after starting just six of the team’s first 67 games. The promising rookie is shooting 43.4% from the field, averaging 16.6 points per game.
