Knicks Don’t Seek ‘Pity’ For Injuries After Game 4 Loss Against Pacers

The Indiana Pacers blew out the New York Knicks 121-89 during Sunday’s NBA playoff action, evening their second-round playoff series at 2-2.

The Pacers’ game plan was clear: wear down the Knicks and Jalen Brunson with relentless pressure and physical defense. It worked, as Brunson shot 9-27 against Aaron Nesmith over the past two games.

“We’re trying to make him work as much as possible and exert as much energy as they can,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said. “He’s a great player, and we just got to keep picking him up 94 feet and try to make things tough on him.”

As the series has worn on, Brunson’s fatigue and sore right foot have become increasingly apparent. Despite this, he remained defiant after Sunday’s loss.

“We can talk about fresher legs, and you can give us all the pity that we want,” Brunson said. “Yeah, we’re shorthanded, but that doesn’t matter right now. We have what we have, and we need to go forward with that. … There is no excuse. There’s no excuse whatsoever. If we lose, we lose. That’s what that was.”

The Knicks’ injuries, including Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby, have affected their depth and energy. The Pacers exploited this advantage, pushing the lead to 30 points by halftime.

“We’re disappointed,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “And the thing is, we can’t have a hangover; we have to fix it, and we have to come with a will and a determination to respond to what happened. And this team has responded all year, so that’s what we’re expecting to do.”

The series shifts to Madison Square Garden for Game 5, where the Knicks will look to bounce back.

“We’ve already talked about how we’re going to fix this,” Knicks guard Miles McBride said. “So, we’ll bounce back a lot better.”

The Pacers are riding a 10-game home winning streak, including 5-0 in the playoffs.

“New York is a team that has shown that it has an indomitable will to compete and rise above anything people say they can’t do,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “And we’ve seen it throughout the season. We’ve seen it in this series. We’re believers in that, and so we got to focus on us. … Everything is going to be a situation where you’ve got your hands completely full.”