The Knicks avenged May’s Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Indiana Pacers when they earned their first win of the 2024-25 season with Friday’s 123-98 rout.
Takings
1. Karl-Anthony Towns clicked After struggling inside Tuesday’s 132-109 loss at the Boston CelticsCities took control with a double-double. Towns matched his scoring total in the opener after a 12-point first half where he was aggressive early and effective throughout. Towns capped a 27-10 run to end the second quarter and give the Knicks a 61-45 halftime lead with a three-pointer at the 4.1-second mark. The starting five of the Knicks all scored in double figures, and Towns was a leader among them with a 21-point evening on 5-of-11 shooting while adding 15 rebounds through 32 minutes.
2. As cities settled, Jalen Brunson took the Knicks to a new level. Brunson’s bucket with 4:07 left in the second quarter gave the Knicks their first double-digit lead of the evening, and forced a Pacers timeout as they went on a pivotal 8-0 run. Towns sparked the Knicks, and Brunson — with his game-high 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting while adding five rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes — showed what the duo can look like at peak form.
3. Mikal Bridges (21 points) and AND Anunoby (14) bounced back from rough starts earlier this week, but Josh Hart in particular was a key cog in the starting five and eight-man rotation when the Knicks buried the Pacers during the first half. Hart even did so clutching his right hamstring in the early minutes of the first quarter but playing through the apparent discomfort. He scored nine second-quarter points as the Knicks created separation and made Hart-like plays en route to 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, plus 10 rebounds and three assists in his game-high 37 minutes. Hart brought heart, and the Knicks — especially the starting five — fed him.
4. Miles McBride highlighted the three-person bench of the Knicks, next to Cameron Payne and Jericho Sims. An apparent injury in the second quarter — McBride replaced Hart at the 3:23 mark of the first quarter and came on for Brunson with 7:29 before halftime — cut short McBride’s minutes, but he returned from the locker room after receiving treatment and returned to the game at the 4:28 mark of the third quarter, replacing Anunoby. McBride finished with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting while adding two rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes.
Who is the MVP?
Brunson. Despite Towns’ promising performance, Brunson remains a constant in the Knicks’ moving parts and ultimately brings New York to another level when he’s on his game.
highlights
What follows
The Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday at 7:30 pm
