Indiana Pacers start road trip with comfortable win over New York Knicks
The Indiana Pacers were in New York to take on the Knicks on Saturday night. It was the first game of a three-game road trip for the Pacers, who were hoping to respond well after a low-effort performance on Thursday.
Doug McDermott, who Indiana acquired in a trade just ahead of the trade deadline, was active for the blue and gold for the first time of the season. He has played for head coach Rick Carlisle before with the Dallas Mavericks and has experience with the Pacers. His shooting should be a natural fit.
He wasn't in the opening five, though. A different group was going to get things going for the blue and gold. They got the action started with a three from Myles Turner to take an early lead, and it was game time.
The early possessions in this game were ugly and featured little scoring. After four minutes of play, the score was just 7-4. Offense was hard to come by for either team.
Turner was giving Indiana good minutes early. He scored seven of his team's first 11 points and grabbed three rebounds in that span. The veteran big man had a night to forget the last time the Pacers were in New York, but he was far better to open this outing.
The blue and gold were moving the ball well early. Even as the Knicks got going, the Pacers maintained a solid level and kept their lead. It was 20-19 when there was a stoppage later in the first period.
Not much later, the Knicks took their first lead of the game. The outing turned into a back-and-forth battle at the moment. Neither team could get any momentum or separation on the scoreboard.
The Knicks were able to hold their lead after 12 minutes and were ahead 27-26. Turner had nine points while Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 10.
The Pacers shot the ball well from the field in the first quarter, nailing over 70% of their looks. But they had too many turnovers and struggled from both the foul line and from deep. They had a working plan, they just needed to make their shots.
The early parts of the second quarter looked similar to the first quarter. Indiana could score in the paint, but they struggled from beyond the arc and the charity stripe. It was 40-37 Knicks with about seven minutes left in the period.
Once Indiana brought some starters back in, their level of play improved. They started to make threes and free throws, and Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard were providing pressure on defense. They went on a 14-6 run to take a 56-51 lead.
That advantage remained at halftime with the blue and gold ahead 61-58. They found a groove from long range late in the half. Turner had 16 points on perfect shooting at the break. Brunson had 17 for New York.
The second half opened with solid play from the Pacers, who were able to hold their lead. Turner continued to play well, and the blue and gold upped their defensive level slightly.
Their advantage reached six points when Tyrese Haliburton made the highlight play of the game. He threw a pass to himself off the backboard, which turned into a pass to Pascal Siakam for a corner three.
New York kept the game close even with the Pacers making some highlight plays. But they couldn't get the lead back through half of the third frame. They trailed 76-70 when there was a stoppage with 4:46 left in the quarter.
Indiana's lead reached a game-high nine later in the quarter. They were playing at a much more consistent level on both ends and were able to maintain a lead even with Brunson on the hardwood, which was significant.
Brunson exited the game with the blue and gold ahead by eight points. When the quarter was over, that number was up to nine. Haliburton hit a three at the buzzer of the thrid period to give the Pacers a 91-82 lead. They needed to take advantage of the upcoming stretch with Brunson out.
Obi Toppin hit a three-point shot to start the fourth quarter and give the Pacers a 12-point gap, the first double-digit advantage of the game. They needed to build on it, though. The Knicks never give up.
Indiana went up by 15 soon after. Their second unit, which was being guided by T.J. McConnell, was clicking early in the fourth quarter. The reserve point guard was making a ton of tough shots in the lane.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Pacers were up by 19 points. They brought some starters back into the game and kept things rolling. Isaiah Jackson was making key plays, and the road team looked like they were on their way to victory.
The Knicks couldn't cut into the lead enough even with Brunson back in the game. They were playing better, but it wasn't enough to cut the deficit down to a manageable number. Indiana was too much.
New York got the lead down to 14 with about three minutes to go, but that still was too many points to make up. The Pacers did enough late to make sure they put the Knicks away.
In the end, despite some choppy moments in the final minutes, the Pacers held on to win 125-111. They improved to 30-24 with the victory, a great result to start their road trip.
Haliburton finished with 22 points and 12 assists, his second 20-point game since his hamstring injury. Turner had 23 points and eight rebounds. Siakam added 19 to the scoreboard.
Indiana next plays on Monday night when they take on the Hornets in Charlotte.
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- Indiana Pacers new rotation keeps T.J. McConnell on the court, which was vital vs Houston Rockets. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers can't slow down Steph Curry in loss to Golden State Warriors. CLICK HERE.
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