The Knicks extended their winning streak to seven with a 109-106 victory over the Pacers Sunday evening.
Indiana played New York tight throughout the evening, even holding a six-point lead with two minutes to go before Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle brought the game home.
Here are the takeaways:
- Indiana got off to an early 12-5 start, despite good process on both sides of the ball from the Knicks. There was constant motion on offense and constant effort on defense, leading to a 9-0 response from New York as it passed the midway point of the first.
- Quentin Grimes drove baseline and found RJ Barrett on a backdoor cut for the and one. Randle hit four of his first five shots for 11 early points.
- Tyrese Haliburton buried back-to-back pull-up 3s late in the quarter, but Brunson responded with his patented inside play. He finished with eight in the period as the Knicks led 29-28 after one.
- Barrett started getting going with two early-second-quarter buckets. He continued with a poster dunk and euro-step floater, both and-one finishes.
- The bench unit provided a defensive spark, allowing the starters to return and build a nine point lead just past the midway point of the quarter. The three stars did most of the scoring work, combining for 40 of the team’s 54 points in the first half. Barrett led with 16 points, Randle added 13 and Brunson 11.
- New York got sloppy to close the half. It blew defensive coverages on young guns Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith, resulting in a stuff and open 3.
- The Knicks had the last laugh of the half, behind a Randle slam and Brunson drawn charge. They led at the break 54-53.
- The third quarter started similarly to the first, with Indiana getting off on a 10-3 run. Poor transition defense against the high pace Pacers led to an open Buddy Hield triple. He put up 23 points on the evening.
- New York responded yet again behind Brunson and Barrett, tying the game back up heading into the midway point of the period. The remainder of the quarter continued the back-and-forth.
- Nesmith strung together some big plays towards 23 points on the night, helping Indiana to an 85-84 lead after 3.
- The contest remained tight until the midway mark of the fourth quarter. Mathurin continued wrecking havoc on the Knicks with his athleticism. He put up 15 points on shaky shooting.
- Indiana pulled ahead by six after some botched Knicks defensive possessions and stagnant New York offense. A Mitchell Robinson putback and Grimes contested 3 ball cut their lead to one with just over three minutes to play.
- Hield pulled up on an isolation versus Barrett to drill a 3, then Nesmith capitalized on another blown transition assignment from the Knicks to extend their lead back to six.
- Brunson responded with a 3 and steal leading to a layup with a minute to go. Randle knocked down two free throws following an off-ball foul to give the Knicks a one point advantage.
- After a terrific defensive possession forcing a Pacers pass into Grimes’s hands, the sophomore turned it over trying to advance the ball. With no shot clock and a chance to take the lead, Indiana ran a play to get Haliburton isolated against Randle, which ended in a bricked pull-up 3. Randle hit four clutch free throws as Indiana tried to make a last second comeback but ultimately failed.
- Brunson led the way with 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field and 3-3 shooting from 3. Randle had 25 points and 14 rebounds on 17 shots, with Barrett chipping in 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting.