Indiana Pacers: 1 stud, 1 dud from disappointing loss to the Knicks

Domantas Sabonis was the lone efficient machine for the Indiana Pacers against the Knicks

With virtually everyone having an off night shooting the basketball, Domantas Sabonis managed to defy the bright lights of the Big Apple and had it going on the offensive end for the most part, finishing with 21 points and 15 rebounds on eight of 15 shooting from the field and a surprising three of four from three-point land.

After struggling a tad scoring the ball throughout the Indiana Pacers’ Western Conference road trip, Domas managed to end up with his highest scoring output since their victory against the Spurs to kick off November.

While Sabonis’ miss on a late game bunny was glaring enough that it immediately sparked a late New York run, he was the lone Pacer to have an efficient night.

However, his minutes were once again in the 40s, the most in the game for both teams by a wide margin. With Indiana reeling against New York’s grinding defense, the coaching staff really didn’t have much option to set up their scoring attack with their perimeter creators failing to dial in from all over the floor amidst Duarte’s absence.

Still, Sabonis was perhaps the Pacers’ only bright spot in their collapse to the Knicks. Hopefully, this is the tipping point for the All-Star to return to his peak form and give Indiana a better chance to close out teams, especially on the road, where they have struggled to generate much offense for the most part.

Honorable Mention: Malcolm Brogdon