Coming off their opening night loss, the new-look Knicks came into tonight’s game looking to make a statement against a familiar foe. Thanks to an explosive second quarter, which put them up by 16 points at halftime, the Knicks were able to secure a convincing victory (123-98) against a Pacers squad that was struggling all night long.
It was just the second game of the season for both teams, who have come into this campaign with high expectations this season. Unfortunately for the Pacers, they were humbled tonight at Madison Square Garden against arguably their biggest rivals in the East.
“Pretty funny what happens when the Pacers face a healthy Knicks team,” wrote a Knicks fan on X.
The hero of the night for the Knicks was, as usual, star point guard Jalen Brunson. With 26 points (10-19 FG) he was the leading scorer for the game and carried the team offensively in less than 30 minutes of action. He set the stage for the other starters, who combined to score 60+ points.
“There has never been a day in Tyrese Haliburton nor Jalen Brunson’s lives that they were better at basketball than Trae Young,’ a fan posted on X.
Mikal Bridges contributed 21 points and 5 assists on 8-12 shooting while Karl-Antony Towns had 21 points and 25 rebounds on 2-2 shooting from three. Josh Hart, who was uncertain about his starting role earlier this month, had his strongest game this season with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists on 53.3% shooting.
In light of the 2024 playoffs, when the Knicks were bounced by the Pacers in the second round, the fans were feeling particularly hungry for vengeance after watching their team eviscerate the same guys who ended their season last year.
“Pacers fans thought they were better because they played us with 6 guys injured,” wrote one New Yorker after the game.
On the other side, Tyrese Haliburton was somehow kept scoreless in the game and he only had 5 assists in 25 minutes at point guard. Haliburton, who went 0-7 from downtown, was a major setback for his team tonight and fans were quick to notice how much he was costing them.
“Tyrese Haliburton needs to return his Olympic Gold Medal,” joked one Lakers fan after checking the box score.
Benedict Mathurin was really the only player who showed up for the Pacers tonight. He finished with a team-high 20 points (8-13 FG) but it clearly wasn’t enough to prevent a blowout loss.
At 1-1 on the season, it’s still too early to say how things are going for the Pacers and the same is true for the Knicks, who have had various ups and downs in the opening week.
But after trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo this summer, and adding Karl-Anthony Towns to the mix, there is no question that the Knicks have title aspirations and they will not hold back in their quest to win the championship.
The Knicks hope that tonight was just a taste of what’s to come this season, with a brand new team and a coach ready to make use of their talents. With perhaps the deepest roster in the league and a passion for playing well on both sides of the court, it may not be far fathered to say the franchise is closer to contention than they’ve been anytime recently.
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