12/20/16: Melo goes off as Knicks rally to beat Pacers, 118-11
The Knicks and Pacers have had their fare share of ups and downs the past couple of seasons. And finally, for both sides, it seems that the future is bright. While neither side is spectacular so far this season (the Pacers come in 15-14 while the Knicks come in 14-13), each roster has a multitude of talented players that, when the chemistry for the teams builds up, will be a forced to be reckoned with in the East, and maybe the West as well.
And on Tuesday night, the two squads met up at Madison Square Garden. It was the first of four meetings between these teams. The Knicks (14-13) come in losers of three straight, and are back home after a 2-3 road trip out west, with wins over the Kings and Lakers, and losses to the Suns, Warriors, and Nuggets. The after the trip, they are now 5-9 on the road. However, they are 9-4 at home.
The Pacers have been back and forth all season. Sometimes they'll have really good games, which are followed by really bad games, and that's why they've been hovering around .500 all season. They've performed well at home, going 11-4 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. However, they've been awful on the road, with a 4-10 record coming in. Paul George is their leading scorer, but they've also gotten consistent contribution from Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner.
The starters for this game were:
Indiana: Teague, Robinson III, George, Young, and Turner
New York: Rose, Lee, Anthony, Porzingis, Noah
In the past, the Knicks and Pacers usually have tight defensive battles in Indianapolis, while they have high-scoring affairs in New York. Tonight continued that trend. The Pacers gained a 24-20 advantage in the first quarter. After that, there were a combined 69 points in the second quarter, with Indiana winning it 35-34, and taking a 59-54 lead into the locker room. The Knicks came out and won the third quarter, 30-28. The Pacers led 81-66 with 4:45 to play in the period, but the Knicks ended on an 18-6 run, and cut the lead to 87-84 entering the fourth.
If you're a Pacers fan, like me, you were probably thinking, "Oh God, here we go again. We're probably going to blow another late lead and lose again."
Wow, we're really good at this!!
The Pacers opened up shooting well, as they scored 12 points in 3 minutes, and led 99-91 with 9 minutes to play.
Then, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose took over the game. The Knicks went on a 27-12 run to close out the game, and those two combined for 19 of those 27 points. And in the end, the Pacers were left wondering once again, "How can we fix our fourth quarter woes?"
The world may never know.
Although Porzingis and Rose came out and beat the Pacers at the end, it was Carmelo Anthony who really gave them nightmares. Anthony scored 35 points on 12-25 shooting (7-11 from 3) and played 37 minutes. Porzingis added 21 points and 8 rebounds, and Rose had 24 points and 6 assists. The Knicks improved to 15-13, snapping their 3-game skid and jumping to 10-4 at home.
For the Pacers, it was yet another loss after leading to start the 4th quarter, their 3rd such loss in the last week. They fall to 15-15 on the season, and are a dismal 4-11 on the road. Yes, they are winning at home, like all good teams should, but in order to be considered a great team, and a title contender, you have to find ways to win on the road. In their last 7 road games, Indiana is 2-5, with wins over the Pistons and Suns. Their five losses: Warriors, Mavericks, Heat, Pelicans, Knicks.
Paul George had 16 points in this one. Myles Turner led Indy with 21 points and 9 boards, and Jeff Teague had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. Off the bench, "Big Al" Al Jefferson had 18 points on 8-11 shooting, and CJ Miles had a near double-double with 11 points and 7 boards.
Next up for the teams, the Pacers return home to face the Boston Celtics (16-12) on Thursday night. That game is the 2nd of 6 "Hickory Pacers" nights, so the Pacers will be busting out the hickory uniforms for that one. The Knicks continue a 3-game homestand Thursday night against the Orlando Magic (13-17).
