Knicks Run Past Pacers Behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart

Brilliant interior efforts from Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns gave the New York Knicks a season series victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Feb 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) and forward Aaron Nesmith (23) defend in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Those arguing that the New York Knicks would've gone further with Karl-Anthony Towns last season were granted a brilliant piece of evidence on Tuesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Towns and Josh Hart handled the load in the Knicks' penultimate game before this week's All-Star break, as their efforts downed the Indiana Pacers by a 128-115 final on the road.

The Knicks (35-18) avenged last postseason's loss to the Pacers by taking the rubber match of the three-game season series and moved 5.5 games ahead of Indiana for third place in the Eastern Conference. It was also the Knicks' first win in Indianapolis in nearly two full calendar years (April 2023), having dropped each of their last five visits to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Feb 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

With Jalen Brunson plagued by foul trouble that forced him to sit for most of the second half, Towns took over with 40 points while Hart fell in behind with 30 more. Both had double-doubles with 12 and 10 rebound respectively, giving Hart his first 30-10 game of his career and his season-high in scoring.

Towns and Hart become the 11th pair of Knicks teammates to earn at least 30-10 in the same game and the first since Immanuel Quickley and Tuesday opponent Obi Toppin pulled it off in April 2022. The two did most of their work in the paint, needing only a combined four three-pointers to reach their respective tallies.

Even the Knicks' bench, often maligned for its lack of scoring, got in on the fun: Miles McBride was a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point range en route to 15 points while the Knicks were a plus-25 on the scorebord when he was on the floor. Landry Shamet had 11 while Cameron Payne fell just short of a double-double while stepping in for Brunson (9 points, 8 assists).

With shooting struggles only adding to Brunson's foul issues (3-of-10 from the field in the first half), Towns initiated a takeover by taking advantage of Myles Turner's medically-induced absence: he scored 24 points over the first 24, all but eight coming in the paint.

Indiana (29-23) tried to get away from the Knicks using its quick pace (putting up eight fastbreak tallies in the first dozen alone) but they built an eight-point lead by halftime thanks to 41 period points in the second. A 10-0 run, featuring a McBride triple from both beyond the arc and at the foul line, gave the Knicks a permanent lead after the advantage switched hands 14 times in the first half.

Towns got into some foul trouble of his own in the second but Hart lived up to his tenacious reputation, guiding New York to a plus-12 advantage on the glass. The Pacers got as close as four with 2:29 to go in the third but they re-upped the advantage to 10 before the fourth tipped off. From there, the lead got as high as 21 before the Knicks relented, allowing them to secure their eighth win in the last 10 games.

Feb 11, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tuesday marked the first time that the Pacers lost consecutive games for the first time in the new calendar year. Pascal Siakam, set to join Brunson and Towns at the All-Star Game in the Bay Area, led Indiana with 24 points in defeat.

The Knicks close out their pre-All-Star slate at home against the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

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