Knicks at Pacers Preview: How, Who to Watch as New York Goes Quickley, Barrett-less vs Toppin
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Fresh off of adding OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn to their roster, the New York Knicks are set to take the court on the road against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
While the Toronto trio won't be available, the Knicks still have a strong roster led by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, who will likely have to take on heavier workloads with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley on their way up north in the deal. The Knicks are looking to salvage a three-game road trip to close out the 2023 calendar year, having dropped the first two stanzas on Wednesday and Friday in Oklahoma City and Orlando respectively.
Trading Quickley on Saturday carries a sense of irony, as the visit to Indianapolis will be the first time the Knicks face his 2020 draft classmate Obi Toppin, who was sent to the Pacers over the summer in exchange for two second-round draft picks. Indiana, currently at 4-6 since partaking in the In-Season Tournament championship finale, has won back-to-back games since removing Toppin from the starting five, including a 120-104 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
This will be the first of three meetings between the Knicks and Pacers this season with the two others scheduled for February at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won three of four get-togethers last season, including the pair in Indianapolis.
What: New York Knicks (17-14) @ Indiana Pacers (16-14)
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
When/Watch: Saturday, Dec. 30, 7 p.m. EST, MSG
Favored: IND -4.5
Keep An Eye On: Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle
With no more R.J. Barrett or Immanuel Quickley, the New York Knicks will be a little shorthanded until they can add Anunoby. Barrett was the third scoring option and had strong potential at the small forward position, and Quickley was an efficient scoring threat with a near-40 percent three-point shooting rate. When he got to the line, he was close to 90 percent and will certainly be missed. But the Knicks don't have time to be nostalgic and will thus rely on their stars. Randle and Brunson have been strong all season: Brunson is capable of putting up 50-point games, while Randle is stepping into the leadership role expected of him prior to the season. That will have to continue on Saturday evening. If the Knicks' two stars can show out against Indiana, New York has a strong chance of emerging victorious on the road.
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Pacer to Watch: Tyrese Haliburton
After a tough stretch in the games that followed the In-Season Tournament, Tyrese Haliburton took it upon himself to lead the Pacers to victories. The point guard has now logged five straight games of at least 17 points, as well as double-doubles, and showed no signs of slowing down in the Pacers' Thursday outing against the Bulls, which saw him put up 21 and 20 assists. If Haliburton gets hot, he's more than capable of serving as a one-man offense for Indiana, and if not, he can burn the Knicks with his passing ability.
They Said It:
“What this guy's going through is ridiculous. Ridiculous. To get hammered time after time, and I'm just getting sick and tired of it. I watch it, I send it in, I see it all. They’re fouls. It’s plain and simple, they're fouls and there's no other way to say it except that they’re fouls."-head coach Tom Thibodeau on Jalen Brunson's lack of free throws (h/t Ian Begley, SNY)
Prediction:
Hitting the road to face a team with momentum while losing two players on short notice isn't exactly a recipe for success. New York has to overcome not only the Pacers but also the distractions that come with trade buzz. With Haliburton as fiery as he's been, the challenge only gets harder. The Knicks can put up a fight, but it will take a lot to stifle the NBA's hottest offense.
