Karl-Anthony Towns fadeaway jumper to force overtime fell short, and so did the New York Knicks on Friday night. A four-game winning streak has turned into back-to-back losses for the reigning champs.
Jalen Brunson had a third quarter to remember. Mikal Bridges finally found his footing. But it wasn’t enough against the the Knicks’ oldest rivals.
New York was down by as many as 14 in the first half before forcing their way back into this one, outscoring the Pacers by seven (55-48) in the second half.
It’s another fourth-quarter, clutch-time loss for the Knicks. After leading the league in points scored in the final two minutes last year, they’re dead last to start this season.
Let’s run through some of the performances.
Josh Hart didn’t see the court in the fourth quarter. He finished with five rebounds, four assists, and no points in his second game back from injury.
Miles McBride’s hot streak is still going. After pouring in five threes against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, he added three more against Indiana.
McBride finished with just nine points, but was all over the floor defensively.
OG Anunoby is struggling to start the year. If it weren’t for Bridges’ slump, we’d all be talking about it. He finished Friday night’s loss with 11 points, and a block and steal each on 31% shooting and three turnovers.
New York’s two stars were aligned against the Pacers. Brunson finished with 33 points and 11 assists in his first double-double outing of the season.
He put up 16 in the third quarter alone.
Towns ended with 23 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. It wasn’t enough as the Knicks were outrebounded by Indiana, 50-43.
Jordan Clarkson got back into the rotation after being benched against the Cavaliers, but looked lost out there. He didn’t score in his nine minutes on the floor.
New York will have Saturday off as they travel to Canada to square off with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm EST.
