The New York Knicks forgot a regrettable opening day against the Celtics to give themselves a tribute at Madison Square Garden.
The New Yorkers made their home debut and did not disappoint their fans, overcoming some unknown Pacers in defense by a wide 98-123.
The entire starting quintet Knickerbocker He contributed double digits in scoring and up to three players added at least 20 points with magnificent shooting success.
The Knicks finished with 53% shooting from the field and 45% from three-point range. In total 12 converted, one more than in the previous day against the Celtics where they were left with only eleven.
Jalen Brunson led his team with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists; supported by Karl Anthony-Towns with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and by Josh Hart who did what he knows how to do very well, contributing in all facets of the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
«We knew this would be a good game for us. “When you get your ass kicked all over national television, the next game, you step up,” Hart admitted to the outlet. NY Post. «I think we just made a mistake in the first game. I feel like I didn’t do well defensively or with my energy. One thing I do, whether I miss shots or not, is have that intensity. That energy on the court. It was obviously our first home game, so our effort was electrifying. “That helped us a lot,” he highlighted.
This was undoubtedly the sweet revenge of the Knicks for their elimination in the last Eastern Semifinals, and of Jalen Brunson in particular, who was left out of the call for the Team USA instead of Tyrese Haliburton.
A Haliburton who certainly had a night to forget with no successful shots, including 0/7 in triples to finish with only 5 assists in his statistical locker.
“I’m just not writing down the pitches, but they will come,” the aforementioned Haliburton downplayed.
In reality, it wasn’t very difficult to do better than in Boston, where they were practically annulled by Joe Mazzulla’s team. But everything worked. The new signings, the magic of Madison Square Garden or the success in shooting (45% in triples for the Knicks compared to only 10% for Indiana).
«Yes, in general we needed to improve in practically everything. Defensively, we are talking about a very powerful attack like Indiana’s. That is fundamental. You can’t relax for a moment. You can’t let your guard down. Your advantage is never secure. You have to finish your possessions. You have to hit the shots. You have to get the ball back. Be united. So we knew the test we were facing tonight,” explained Tom Thibodeau.
Other highlights
Knicks: Mikal Bridges recovered general sensations, and in the midst of his shooting crisis, he had another good offensive game with 21 points and 5 rebounds with 8/12 attempts.
The British OG Anunoby added 14 points and 4 rebounds, and from the bench Miles McBride and Cameron Payne added 8 and 7 points respectively.
Pacers: On the visiting team, its most outstanding player was the recovered Ben Mathurin with 20 points from the second unit.
And among their starters Pascal Siakam contributed 12 points and Myles Turner 13.
(Cover photo: Elsa/Getty Images)
