Twice in the past 10 days, the Knicks have missed opportunities to push their record to .500 in unsightly losses to the Magic and Warriors.
They appeared heading for another chance to break their record and rose to the crowded Eastern Conference on Saturday night. However, Tom Thibodeau’s growing team bounced back from a 16-point deficit in the first half and moved into a tie for fourth place in the playoffs, with a 110-107 heavy victory over the Pacers in the garden.
“We didn’t start the game well, it was weird and we had to work hard,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a long game, but the most important thing was just finding a way to win in the end.
“I had a lot of guys who stepped up and made big songs. … I just scratched it. ”
RJ Barrett got two free throws with 14.6 seconds left, but the theft of Derrick Rose and the two free throws of Frank Ntilikina with 2.9 seconds to the end sealed the Knicks’ sixth victory in eight games, on as they improved to 17-17. They started especially last season 17-42 and finished with 21 victories in 66 games.
Big man Taj Gibson suffered a sprained left ankle in the first trimester and never returned. The Mitchell Robinson start center is already eliminated following a hand surgery.
Rose started in place of Elfrid Payton (hamstring) for a second straight game and scored 17 points with 11 assists and five steals for the Knicks, who will visit the weakest Pistons on Sunday night (9-24).
All-Star striker Julius Randle again completed the stats with 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, including two key free throws in the last minute. Barrett scored 24, and Immanuel Quickley finished 10th in 13 minutes – including his second four-point play in as many games in the fourth quarter – while the Knicks took the Indiana series (2-1).
Myles Turner’s 3-point pointer lifted the Pacers 94-91 with 6:37 left, and his steering wheel extended the lead to five with just four minutes to go. But Barrett connected to the fourth triple of the night and then turned a traditional three-point game to regain the lead for the Knicks at 3:32.
Randle also scored from distance, and Barrett added an inside piece for a 104-98 game, with 2:22 for the final. The Pacers climbed back with the next five points, but Nerlens Noel sank two free throws following an eight-point steal in a 41-minute high.
Randle’s All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis was held to 15 points for the Pacers, who played without goalkeeper Malcolm Brogdon (knee) for the first time this season. Former Knicks Doug McDermott (20 points) and Justin Holiday (13) combined for 33 for Indiana (15-17).
To start the day, the teams in fourth and 10th place in the east were separated by a single game, but the Knicks drew level with the idle Raptors.
“It’s a long season and that’s what we need to understand,” Thibodeau said. “Every game is just as important. One game doesn’t make more sense than another. They all matter the same. Wherever you go, that can be the difference between a lot of things. ”
The Knicks missed the first five shots and saw Indiana with an 8-0 lead, and Holiday brought out some early pairs to get Thibodeau to use a quick timeout in just two minutes of play.
The Knicks, who scored 77 points at the break and a 140-season high in Thursday’s win over the Kings, looked up to 16 in the half. But their defense scored a 24-6 closing run, culminating in three immediately by Rose at the buzzer for a 54-52 lead at the break.
Spurt also presented the second indicator 3 of Quickley’s half, two Randle dunks and two more downtown Barrett marks.
Barrett’s separate dunk with four minutes left in the third, a free-kick from Rose following a technical error by Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren and seven consecutive Randle points helped the Knicks go 81- 78 in the last quarter.