The Knicks failed to level the series on the road as the Pacers took a resounding 3-1 lead in the ECF. The Pacers won Game 4 at home 130-121 after creating a healthy margin in the first quarter itself (43-35). The Knicks tied the game at the half, but the Pacers took the lead once again and did not give up from then till the end.
Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ top scorer, finished the game with 31 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds. However, this was not enough as a Tyrese Haliburton masterclass fueled the Pacers’ steady offense to maintain the gap throughout the game.
Brunson spoke to the media after the game regarding why the Knicks lost Game 4 in Indiana. He addressed how the constant turnovers impacted the Knicks’ momentum and also took some responsibility on his shoulders as the leader of this team.
“I know this is a copycat league, but a lot of teams have different identities. And so obviously their identity is playing fast, make or miss, run the floor, and we just got to follow our game plan discipline. And we weren’t disciplined tonight, I wasn’t disciplined tonight, we just got to be smarter, I got to be smarter, it’s really that black and white.”
What Should The Knicks Blame For Their Game 4 Loss?
The Knicks finished the game with 17 assists on 17 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Pacers only had 11 as a team, of which Haliburton had 0 with 12 assists alone. The Knicks clearly struggled with turnovers last night. Josh Hart alone had five turnovers. When speaking to the media about his turnovers, Hart took the blame on his shoulders.
“It’s tough to win against a team like that that turns those turnovers into points. You know, I had like four or five, it’s just his bad, just stupid turnovers, you know that you can’t have that leads to easy baskets and leaves the momentum. So, we had to be more careful with the ball, no started with myself, and you know we know we got to do that.”
“My turnovers definitely killed the momentum,” Hart added. “That’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Beyond the undisciplined turnovers that cost the Knicks the game, another key issue the Knicks faced was Josh Hart’s availability and their starting lineup. While it was successful for the Knicks in Game 3, Game 4 proved that Hart needs to be in the starting lineup for the Knicks to have a good chance. Pascal Siakam was having his way with Robinson as a starter. Siakam dropped 30 points while Robinson was -20 on the +/- stats.
With the Knicks down only 7 points with less than two minutes left to go, Hart fouled out of the game at a time when his defensive prowess could have helped the Knicks. Therefore, a combination of factors led to the Game 4 loss for the Knicks.
