Takeaways From Knicks Draining Loss To Pacers

In the 2024 playoffs, the Pacers defeated the Knicks in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Following that up to last year's playoffs, where the Knicks core was healthy, the Pacers beat the Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

So when the Pacers come into Madison Square Garden during the regular season, missing multiple key players on their roster and still defeating the Knicks, the shock level is not as high as you would think. This is a problem. While the Pacers have no chance to stand in the way of the Knicks this year, reaching their ultimate goal in the playoffs. This will be a situation where the Knicks will be confronted in the latter years when the Pacers become healthy again.

The Knicks ball dominant, stagnant offense cost them in the clutch

This season, the Knicks have found success offensively, ranked as high as number three in scoring. Much of it has to do with them having a top 10 scorer in the league in Jalen Brunson (27.4 PPG).

However, that doesn’t mean that the style of play doesn’t pose a level of concern. For the entire overtime, the Knicks went scoreless until the last 40 seconds. Within the last three minutes of the fourth quarter and beyond, the Knicks ball dominant high pick and roll offense became predictable and ineffective.

From the 1:41 minute mark of the fourth quarter all the way to 40 seconds left in OT, Brunson went 1/5 from the field. Josh Hart and Landry Shamet seemed to be uncomfortable with the shots they were forcing around those times of the game as well. The Pacers defense was not challenged because of the Knicks ball dominant style of play and lack of ball movement.

Karl-Anthony Towns was not rewarded for sending the game into OT

This is a repetitive problem. All season long, the Knicks have had two issues with Karl-Anthony Towns: his inability to stay on the court because of foul trouble, and the inability to keep Towns engaged in the offense. Guess which one was a bigger problem versus the Pacers?

Coming into the game, with no Ivica Zubac for the Pacers, Towns had the favorable matchup. However, his overaggressiveness got him into foul trouble early, while head coach Mike Brown did what he could to keep Towns on the court, fate would reveal itself. At the 2:24 mark in overtime, Towns was called for an offensive foul, setting a high screen for Brunson.

While Towns was dealing with foul trouble all game, it doesn’t shield the fact that it’s no excuse for the second-best player who put the Knicks in position to win the game not have a single shot attempt in overtime before fouling out.  

Towns is a player who has to be kept involved in the offense to be the best version of himself. How do you do that? Allow him to touch the ball and not shield him out of the offense.

The Knicks will not reach their full potential unless Towns is allowed to be the full version of himself.

This was the worst loss of the season for the Knicks

There are statement wins and statement losses. The Knicks already have a dark cloud hanging over them: not able to slay the Pacers. It seems as if the Pacers are confident enough that they don’t need their main guys to beat the Knicks.

This is a test for the Knicks that they are going to need to pass eventually. Before the All-Star break, the Knicks are on the tail end of a back-to-back today, where they will face the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.