After blowing out the Bulls on Friday, the Knicks managed to barely beat the Pacers to win their seventh game in a row, taking Indiana down 109-106. This was an ugly game but nonetheless, the Knicks got the job done and now look to win their eighth in a row against the reigning champion Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.
The Knicks have been on an extremely impressive win streak over the last couple of weeks and have shown that when the starters consistently play well, they can beat most opposing teams.
If they manage to keep this up, the Knicks could easily surpass the play-in expectations they had prior to the start of the season. For now, though, we will take any win we can get out of this team.
Knicks’ starting lineup comes up huge in close victory over Pacers
While the offense was very rough down the stretch, the Knicks starting lineup got the job done when it counted. Whether it was big threes from both Quentin Grimes and Jalen Brunson or some extremely clutch free throws from Julius Randle, there are no doubts the starters were the reason the Knicks won this game.
However, as well as the starting lineup performed, the bench was less than stellar, as combined they shot 6-of-17 from the field and did not have a single player with a positive +/-. While this bench is more known for its defense than offense, they need to do more to help this Knicks team win.
As for the starters, just about everyone performed at a very high level. In this game, Jalen Brunson was the Knicks’ leading scorer dropping 30 points, two rebounds, and two assists while shooting 11-of-22 from the field and 3-of-3 from three. Brunson was huge this game and hit some big-time shots that brought the Knicks within one down the stretch.
Brunson has been the undeniable leader of this Knicks team and arguably their best player. Without him, the Knicks would be in pretty rough shape and likely would not be anywhere close to their current spot in the standings.
Both Julius Randle and RJ Barrett had very solid performances to add to the good runs they both have had during New York’s win streak. Randle racked up 25 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists while shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 2-of-8 from the field. While this certainly isn’t the most efficient performance, Randle hit four clutch free throws in a row to seal the game, so there aren’t any reasons to be upset about how he played.
The last 10+ games have been relatively kind to Barrett and this matchup against the Pacers was no different as he racked up 24 points and four assists, shooting 10-of-19 from the field and 0-of-5 from behind the arc. It would’ve been nice to see Barrett hit from range, but considering how bad he has been at moments this season, we’ll take a performance like this.
Mitchell Robinson had one of his better games of the season, dropping 10 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. Robinson shut down the paint and even held down Myles Turner, who has been fantastic this season.
As for Grimes, he only had six points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field, but he racked up six rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and hit a huge three to bring the Knicks within one with 3:04 left in the game.
Again, this was an ugly win and a game that should not have been this close. However, fantastic performances from Buddy Hield, and shockingly enough, Aaron Nesmith, kept the Pacers close.
Regardless, a win is a win and we all know the Knicks need as many as they can get following their mediocre start to the season. Hopefully, we can see some magic on Tuesday against the Warriors, as a win against a team of that caliber would be huge for New York’s momentum.
Would Knicks make this Kyle Kuzma trade with Wizards?
The New York Knicks and Washington Wizards can easily build a trade for Kyle Kuzma. Would both sides say yes to this construction?