Right On, Q! Knicks' Subs Punt Pacers, Make History in Win

Don't tell these New York Knicks that their final regular season games mean nothing.

Locking themselves into the fifth seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket did nothing to curb the Knicks' enthusiasm: New York extended its Eastern Conference-best active winning streak to five games on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, disposing of the Indiana Pacers by a 138-129 final.

Sitting RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson alongside Julius Randle was no deterrent for the Knicks' offense, which enjoyed 30-point outings from Immanuel Quickley (39), Quentin Grimes (36), and Obi Toppin (32). Their efforts, including Grimes' career-best, created the third occasion where three New Yorkers scored at least 30 points and the first since 1979. The trio also became the first trio in NBA history to earn at least 30 points and five triples in a single game.

Elsewhere in the starting five, Mitchell Robinson had a 16-rebound, 14-point double-double while Josh Hart had a dozen boards in his first start as a Knick. Their interior work was part of a 52-37 rebounding victory for the Knicks, including a 20-10 tally on the offensive glass.

With both teams stuck playing meaningless basketball (Indiana having been eliminated from postseason contention earlier this week), a surprisingly lively affair ensued. Behind a united five triples from Grimes and Quickley, the Knicks (47-33) erased an early Indiana lead with a 17-0 run that built the foundation for a 38-29 lead at the end of the first quarter. Thrust forward with a diverse scoring effort (and missing All-Star Tyrese Haliburton and leading rebounder Myles Turner), the Pacers worked their way back into the game with a 50 percent effort from three-point range in the first half.

The Knicks squandered a chance to run away, surrendering a 14-point from the final minute of the third quarter. It even became a 20-1 run for the Pacers (34-46), who went up by five with just under three minutes gone by in the final frame. Seven unanswered points from Grimes and Toppin, however, broke a 120-all tie and officially set the pace for the remainder of the game.

Indiana, now holding the seventh-best odds for the top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery, was paced by 19 points from Jalen Smith while T.J. McConnell had an 18-point, 12-assist double-double off the bench. If the Pacers are looking for any sort of revenge, they'll get the opportunity on Sunday afternoon when they close their season at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks' final road game of the regular season lands on Friday night when they head to the Big East to battle the New Orleans Pelicans (8 p.m. ET, MSG).

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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