New York Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 136-110: Brunson’s break is Josh Hart’s party

The New York Knicks trounced the Indiana Pacers, 136-110. Jalen Brunson didn’t play, but the Knicks rolled anyway, looking rejuvenated after a few days at home.

The first half featured the defense of an All-Star Game. Nobody defended the three-point line, and neither team could miss. Both teams played at a breakneck pace. OG Anunoby and Josh Hart led the way, as New York knocked down 11 three-pointers and finished the half ahead 72-64.

New York didn’t slow down in the second half, and they turned up the defense on Indiana. The Pacers struggled to keep up when they couldn’t miss, but the game quickly became a blowout once they slowed down. Mike Brown got to rest his starters early, and Josh Hart got to joke about scoring 30 points in Jalen Brunson’s absence during the post game.

The Knicks’ jumpers were back with a vengeance. Let’s look at the victory through each impact performance.

Read those stats again. OG Anunoby did all of that in 29 minutes. He started the game on fire with 15 points in the first quarter, and he showed off his full bag as a slasher. He got into the paint for dunks, finished through contact, and flashed impressive passing.

Anunoby looked like he could score any time he felt like driving through his defender. It’s the tightest his handle has looked all season.

OG Anunoby starred in the first quarter, but the rest of the night belonged to Josh Hart. Surprisingly, most of Hart’s offense came on jumpers. He had 19 points at halftime and 33 before the fourth quarter started.

Hart didn’t slack anywhere else. He had two early steals and a handful of hustle plays to track down loose balls. The Knicks’ energizer might have flirted with 50 points if he’d gotten the Bam Adebayo treatment from Mike Brown.

In his first start as a New York Knick, Jose Alvarado showed out. He snapped his three-point shooting slump, making all four of his threes in the first half.

More importantly, Alvarado’s pace and playmaking helped New York run like a well-oiled machine. Everyone got into a rhythm while Alvarado dribbled and probed the defense en route to a double-double. The Pacers played fast, and that was perfect for GTA.

The only thing keeping Mitchell Robinson from a double-double was early rest. He did his usual work on the glass and ran the floor especially well. There’s no better sign that Mitch is healthy than watching him beat the Pacers defense down the floor in the fourth quarter.

One more note, all three of Mitch’s assists were dimes. The big man cooked!

Even the Pacers’ big men couldn’t keep Karl-Anthony Towns from scoring in the paint, though he kept hoisting threes and hurting his efficiency. But KAT was a force in the middle regardless, and I appreciated his hustle defensively in the third quarter.

I’m convinced Towns could have been even better if he attacked the paint more often. Still, his double-double with four Stocks marks another great performance post All-Star break.

Nothing embodies Mikal Bridges’ recent struggles better than a wide-open transition layup he missed, in which he appeared to sprain his ankle. Bridges came up hobbling more than once during the game, while struggling with his jumper again. I was convinced his slump was due to nagging injuries.

But Mikal kept playing, defended well, and made his last two three-point attempts of the night. Hopefully, that’s the start of him snapping out of his shooting slumber.

It’s one game, and it’s against the tanking Pacers, but it was refreshing to see the Knicks hit their jumpers. Their first-quarter defense is still spiraling, but I’m optimistic that they’ll get it under control next. I didn’t think New York looked like a team that lost its heart or effort; they simply looked fatigued.

With Brooklyn and Washington next, New York has a chance to build momentum even as players like Brunson rest. The Knicks have won four in a row, and they’re in a great position to keep going.

I’ll see you next time, Knicks fam!