Knicks Go on the Offensive, Fall to Pacers in Regular Season Finale

It was anything but a holiday for the New York Knicks that did play on Sunday afternoon in a meaningless regular season finale.

Closing out their 82-game ledger against the doomed Indiana Pacers, the Knicks once again enjoyed an offensive explosion but fell by a 141-136 final. Obi Toppin had 34 points while Immanuel Quickley was close behind with 30.

With the exception of Jalen Brunson (hand maintenance) and Julius Randle (ankle) all regular Knicks, and even a few that have long fallen out of the New York rotation, played on Sunday as the Cleveland Cavaliers loom in the first round of the upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs. Having locked up the fifth seed earlier this week, the Knicks breezed through Sunday's game through sharpshooting and deep antics.

OBI TOPPIN OFF THE STEAL pic.twitter.com/tpkRit1i4w
— Fireside Knicks (@FiresideKnicks) April 9, 2023

Though the Knicks (47-35) fell short of having three players with 30 points again (posting such a rare feat in Wednesday's win over the Pacers in Indianapolis), several others posted sterling box scores in their final regular season effort: Quentin Grimes had 22 on an 8-of-13 output from the field (uniting with Quickley and Toppin to sink 13 of the Knicks' 15-triple tally) while Josh Hart tallied a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double before he was forced to leave due to two technical fouls.

Of note, Isaiah Hartenstein also became the first Knick since 2016-17 to play in a full 82-game slate, one of 10 players across the Association to do so. Starting center Mitchell Robinson returned to the opening five and, after resting on Friday in New Orleans, pulled in 20 rebounds.

Facing a Pacers team resting most of their headliners and eliminated from any sort of playoff contention, the Knicks embraced the consequence-free settings by scoring 45 in the opening frame, Toppin accounting for 16 on 6-of-8 shooting. Indiana (35-47) countered with 41 in the frame, matching the Knicks' 67 percent success rate from the field.

Bennedict Mathurin with a strong finish to his rookie campaign.💪

26 PTS
6 AST
3 REB pic.twitter.com/tXEdtVmZm4
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 9, 2023

The Pacers bookended their season finale with another 41-point period, staging their own offensive showcase with seven players putting up double-figures. They trailed by seven entering the final frame, seemingly destined for their first four-game sweep at the hands of the Knicks since 1993-94. A 17-5 run put the game in their control from there on out and they staved off a late New York rush to at least end things on a high note.

Bennedict Mathurin capped off his rookie year in style by leading the Pacers with 26 points. Buddy Hield, now the active leader in NBA regular season games played without a playoff appearance (a list Hart left upon the Knicks' clinch) had 12 points in the second half and was one of three Indiana reserves (along with George Hill and Oshae Brissett) with at least 10.

Despite the loss, the Knicks' 47-win output and .573 winning percentage are their best since 2012-13, which marks the last year they won a playoff series. Though they're not headed to the playoffs, the Pacers improved by 10 wins from last year, its first in Rick Carlisle's second tenure as head coach, their best single-year improvement from 2003-04. The Pacers have the eighth-best odds to land the top overall pick at the upcoming NBA Draft lottery.

The Knicks' full playoff schedule against the Cavaliers will be unveiled at a later date, with Game 1 slated for Saturday evening at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (6 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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