The New York Knicks washed away the stench from the season opener and dominated the Indiana Pacers in the home opener at Madison Square Garden on Friday, defeating them by a score of 123-98 for their first win of the 2024-25 season.
The first quarter was fairly close, but a 14-2 run by the Knicks in the second quarter ignited them and they never looked back. New York’s big three Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns all had strong performances, showcasing the serious potential that they possess as a top trio in the league.
The Knicks were in sync on both ends of the floor
The Knicks had everything working for them against Indiana. After allowing an NBA record 29 threes to the Celtics on Tuesday, they gave up just three to the Pacers on 30 attempts (10%). They did an exceptional job at slowing down Tyrese Haliburton, who scored zero points in 25 minutes shooting 0-for-8 from the floor.
Defensively, the Knicks were a juggernaut, forcing 15 turnovers and scoring 29 points off of those. Towns and Josh Hart both recorded double-doubles, with Towns adding two blocks to his line.
On the offensive end, the Knicks showed off their elite starting five. All five starters scored in double figures, with Brunson leading the way with 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists and had the highest plus-minus at +36.
Towns and Bridges each scored 21 points, and Hart 20 points of his own, the second consecutive game he scored in double digits after scoring two points all preseason. Overall, New York shot 52% from the floor and 44% from outside the arc.
The Knicks showed their resilience after a tough loss against Boston
This game had storylines ahead of it, as this was the first meeting between the two teams since the Pacers knocked off the Knicks in Game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. After a tough loss against the Celtics to open the season, they needed to respond in a big way in the playoff rematch.
New York answered the call big time, securing their first win of the year in total dominant fashion. The Knicks are showing a similar fight from last season when they competed in every single game despite missing an unprecedented amount of players due to injury.
The Knicks are currently without Precious Achiuwa, Mitchell Robinson, and Landry Shamet, which has left the bench unit particularly thin. Despite that, they have shown that they cannot be slowed down, a great sign for them moving forward.
The Knicks will look to carry over this dominance into their next game on Monday night when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at MSG, another playoff rematch from the first round two seasons ago.