A win is a win, especially with a double-digit margin, but the Indiana Pacers looked tired in their win over the New York Knicks.
Sure, it was the New York Knicks, but after losing two of their last three, a win was needed to right the ship for the Indiana Pacers.
The win won’t take away the narrative that they’ve been beating up on bad teams — there’s some truth to that — but at the same time, a good team should be able to handle the NBA’s ‘rebuilding’ teams.
It was a balanced game from the Pacers, but Domantas Sabonis filled up the box score with 22 points and 15 rebounds. Sabonis merely shot 64.3 percent after his perfect performance last time Indiana visited Madison Square Garden. His ‘long lost brother’, Victor Oladipo, had 19 points on 61.5 percent shooting, including 3 of 5 from deep.
A very unpretty game
The Pacers won by double-digits, but the game felt like a trip to the DMV. A win was all but an eventuality, but it hardly felt like the Pacers were running away with things until the fourth quarter.
A 12-0 run at the end of the first half distracted from the face the score was tied up just a few minutes earlier. It’s understandable that a team playing its 4th road game in six nights was sluggish, but at the same time, it was the Knicks.
There were bright spots — Hi, Domas — but somehow this didn’t feel like the blowout it turned into.
An even-handed approach
While there’s a certain fun to one player showing out at Madison Square Garden, the Pacers saw a balanced approach — in the first half in particular.
It wasn’t until near halftime that Victor Oladipo and Thaddeus Young broke into double-digits, but when seven of the players score six points or more, you don’t need single player dominance.
In the end, all the starters plus Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott scored double-digits while the only starter that didn’t, Darren Collison, registered 10 assists.
Some nights you’ll need someone to take over, but there’s value in having so many payers that can get buckets.
Get better Knicks
The Indiana Pacers versus the New York Knicks used to be something, but ever since Roy Hibbert blocked Carmelo Anthony in Game 6, the rivalry hasn’t had the same appeal. It doesn’t help Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t played for nearly a year now (get well soon) but even for a rebuilding team, fun hasn’t been part of that process.
Get better Knicks. It isn’t a rivalry when the Pacers are 14-5 since Hibbert’s block. We want this to be fun for both sides. Making Spike Lee sad doesn’t count if he is already depressed watching his Knicks.
The Pacers return home on Tuesday to take on the Phoenix Suns. Hopefully, they can replicate their performance from earlier in the season against Phoenix.