Game 39: New York Incapacitated in Indiana

Game 39: New York Knicks v Indiana Pacers (Review)

Actual Score: 89-117

By: Malcolm Merritt

Email: mjmerritt23@gmail.com

Paul George (24) and the Pacers dominated New York in their rematch. 

The New York Knicks (15-24) were coming off of a lost but were still one of the hottest teams in the league. Winning five of their last seven games the ‘Bockers were looking to get payback against the NBA leading Indiana Pacers (31-7). Last time these teams played was at Madison Square Garden. It’s still fresh in New Yorkers’ minds. Paul George rose up five feet behind the three-point line when the Pacers were down by three. He missed the shot and the stadium exploded. The issue was, the explosion was full of rage and dismay. Iman Shumpert fouled George on the shot. The Pacers went on to hitting all three free throws and winning in overtime.

The Knicks came out of the gates firing in the first quarter, especially Carmelo Anthony. He scored 18 of the Knicks 31 points in the period, capping it off with a buzzer beating trey. The Knicks had an eight-point lead at one point but the Pacers were able to close the quarter on an 11-5 run, being down 31-30 at the horn.

In the second quarter, they woke up. The Pacers turned up the heat defensively and offensively. Paul George and Lance Stephenson put on a show for the home fans as they scored in bunches. At the half, the Pacers had put up a season high 63 first half points.

Lance Stephenson (1) lit up New York with 28 points.

The third quarter was closely contested as Stephenson continued to shine. In the fourth, he capped off his 28-point, four rebound, four assists and single steal performance with a reverse layup off a fast break.

J.R. Smith played 28 minutes and scored 12 points with 4 rebounds and an assist. He shot 50% from the field on 12 shots. The Knicks organization has considered trading him as a possibility. His immaturity and complaints have brought New York under a microscope. Coach Mike Woodson has benched Smith in two of the last four games. With such inconsistent play and childish behavior, it’s up in the air about what could happen to him.

The Knicks were out of this game by the second quarter and the loss meant much more than just another strike in the losing column. Both Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin were lost to sprained ankles. They are both expected to miss about two weeks as reported by rotowire.com.

Amar’e Stoudemire has provided scoring spurts for the club. He has become more consistent with his scoring due to his health but not enough to sustain New York’s struggling offense. He won’t be missed too much anyway. When he was on the floor, the Knicks were being outscored by about 10 points. Kenyon Martin has provided New York with a unique energy and tenacity this season and that will be sorely missed.

Last year, New York scored an average of 100.0 points per game. They’ve had a 4.7-point drop off this year. The average point spread in the NBA is 3.96 points per game. Now only averaging 95.3 points per game, they have the 25^th ranked offense in the Association. This isn’t going to get them by, nor will there occasional poor defensive performances do it either.

All in all, Indiana showed why they are the best team in the East and possibly the league. They are polished on the offensive end and gritty defensively. They destroyed the Knicks 117-89 and made a statement while doing it.

The Pacers have now won three home games by 20+ points.

The Knicks are looking to bounce back at home against the Los Angeles Clippers (28-13) in their next matchup. In their last game, the Paul-less Clippers scored 128 points in 48 minutes.