The New York Knicks caught a glimpse of their potential Friday night, while the Indiana Pacers faced a harsh reality check. Both teams will seek to establish consistency when they meet Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis for their second matchup of the season.
The Knicks were off Saturday following their dominant 116-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Meanwhile, the Pacers had a rough outing, collapsing in the second half of a 103-83 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Knicks, who revamped their starting lineup with the offseason additions of Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, secured their fourth win of the season, and their third victory by at least 20 points. New York’s four losses this season have been by a combined 46 points, with half of that margin coming in their season-opening 132-109 loss to the Boston Celtics.
On Friday, the new and old pieces of the Knicks’ lineup meshed impressively, leading to a wire-to-wire victory over the Bucks. They previously achieved a similar result with a 128-98 rout of the Detroit Pistons on November 1.
Six Knicks players scored in double figures Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns led with 32 points and 11 rebounds, while Bridges contributed 17 points. Josh Hart came close to a triple-double with 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Jalen Brunson narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and nine assists.
The Pacers, on the other hand, experienced a tough lesson as they played a game decided by more than seven points for only the second time this season. After overcoming a 10-point first-half deficit and taking a 13-point lead early in the third quarter with a 20-7 run, Indiana struggled. The Hornets closed the third quarter on a 23-2 run and outscored the Pacers 29-17 in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte shot just 37.8 percent from the floor in the first half but ended the third quarter by making eight of 11 shots, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. They shot 56.3 percent (18 of 32) in the final 18 minutes.
The Pacers opened the third quarter by hitting eight of their first nine shots but finished the quarter in a 1-for-10 slump. Indiana missed 11 of its final 12 3-point attempts during the Hornets’ comeback.
Overall, Indiana set season lows in field-goal percentage (39.8 percent) and free-throw percentage (57.1 percent). The 83 points were the fewest the Pacers have scored since their 87-82 loss to the Miami Heat on December 12, 2022.
