Hart leads Knicks to St. Patrick's Day win
Jalen Who?
The Knicks (44-25, 3rd in the East) finished their five-game road trip with a 3-2 record, including a 101-92 win in Indiana, before returning to MSG for a come-from-behind victory against the Warriors. After the Indiana Pacers lost to the Knicks, they lost to the lottery-bound Bucks in Milwaukee, 134-123.
The Knicks may be on a three-game win streak, but they haven’t looked particularly strong lately. They had to come from behind to win against the depleted rosters of the Warriors and the Jazz, and they’ve lost four of the last five games I’ve attended, bringing their record in those games to a mediocre 12 wins and 11 losses.1
For comparison, the Knicks are 32-14 in the games I’ve watched on TV. Clearly, their success depends on my staying far, far away. But I haven’t come this far just to come this far! Especially when I’m only a few games from completing the opponent season cycle. The Pacers were the 24th team I’ve seen this season, in my quest to see every team once, in person, this year.2
Game Night
Prior to this game:
The Knicks and Pacers had played each other 201 times in the regular season, with the Knicks holding a 104-97 advantage all-time. 3
Seating Chart
The Indiana Pacers (15-43, worst in the league), our Eastern Conference rivals, haven’t been a big draw this season, and tickets for this game were relatively cheap. I was considering a first-row seat in Section 210, but the price was a little higher than I wanted to pay. Ninety minutes before tipoff, the price dropped from $217 to $172, and I grabbed the deal. I’d like to think that if this blog has given anything to anyone in this world, it is this bit of wisdom: The power of waiting remains undefeated.
As an academic pursuit, I checked prices twice more before the game started, just to see how low they would go. Forty-five minutes before tipoff, a lower-bowl seat in row 11 near center court was listed for just $300 — a fantastic price for a seat that close — while upper-bowl seats were going for a little over $110. Just prior to tipoff, prices sank even further, with a seat in row 8 of the lower bowl going for a mere $136! I guess the power of waiting even longer remains even more undefeated?4 Alas, I was already comfortably seated, wearing my free Knick St. Patrick’s Day shirt, and talking to my neighbors. But my new goal is to sit in the lower bowl for $136 or less in a future game. With the power of waiting, nothing is impossible. 5
The only issue with these seats is that, depending on your viewing angle, the monitor could partially block your view, but that wasn’t a problem in my seat.
Game Notes
For the first time all season, everyone in the crowd seemed to be Knicks fans. If there were any Pacers supporters there, they weren’t repping their team.
“Where’s Brunson?” was the collective cry from the fanbase during the starting lineups. Brunson missed his fifth game of the season, and Jose Alvarado started in his place.6 Alvarado played the first seven minutes and scored 6 points (two three-pointers) and handed out 3 assists. With Brunson watching, OG Anunoby stepped into the scorer’s role. He was six for nine from the field for 15 points, with three threes in the quarter. Josh Hart scored 9 points on perfect 4-4 shooting, adding 2 steals and 2 assists. The Knicks led 38-34 after one.
Karl-Anthony Towns hit a three-pointer to give the Knicks a 7-point lead, 41-34, early in the second quarter. Then the Knicks hit a rough patch, going over three minutes without a field goal. During this time, the Pacers went on a 10-2 run to take the lead. They maintained a small advantage through most of the second quarter. Then, with two minutes remaining in the first half, the momentum shifted. Mikal Bridges made a short floater in the lane off an Alvarado bounce pass, giving the Knicks back the lead, 63-62. On the Pacers’ next possession, Alvarado stole the ball from Kobe Brown to ignite a fast break, flipping the ball ahead to Hart, who took two dribbles and passed it to Anunoby at the free throw line. OG jumped in the air and found Alvarado alone in the corner for three SPLASH, putting the Knicks up by four. Josh Hart then made two consecutive three-point shots, including one with 1.2 seconds left, to give the Knicks their largest lead of the game, 72-64.7 Hart’s ten points in the quarter (including three three-pointers) brought his total to 19 at the half.
Did I mention how awful the Pacers are? This isn’t the same team that beat the Knicks in the playoffs. Myles Turner is in Milwaukee, and both Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton are injured. Aside from familiar faces Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, and Aaron Nesmith, the rest of the roster looks like a who’s who of who’s he?! At halftime, my seat neighbor said he didn’t know Brunson was going to miss the game. I replied that we shouldn’t need him to beat this team.
The Knicks extended their lead to fourteen behind a couple of three pointers from Towns and a layup from OG. They maintained that margin the rest of the quarter and led after three, 105-91. When the score was 91-77 with 7:18 left in the frame, my neighbor asked, “When’s the last time Hart had 26 points in the third quarter?” Hart already had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. By the time he subbed out of the quarter with 2:32 remaining, Hart had scored 33 points on 12-13 shooting, including 5-5 from long distance. The Pacers were unable to mount a challenge, and Hart would never check back into the game.8 The fourth quarter turned into extended garbage time for the bench, and the Knicks won 136-110.
Odds and Ends
Anunoby had another strong game, with 26 points, on 10-13 shooting, 4-5 from three.
Towns finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He only made two threes, but his seven attempts were encouraging.
Jose Avarado finished his first Knicks start with 16 points, 10 assists, and just one turnover.
Alvarado’s 10 assists tied Mark Jackson for the 5th most assists all-time for a player in their first start for the Knicks.
It was the Knicks 16th game of the season scoring 130 or more.
Oh, and shoutout to Mike and Ike for the shirt.
Up Next
The Knicks have a rest day tomorrow and will play only one game over the next four days. Their upcoming game is in Brooklyn on Friday night, followed by a matchup against the Washington Wizards on Sunday. I’ve already seen both the Nets and the Wizards in-person this season, so my next game will be Tuesday at MSG against the New Orleans Pelicans.
After the Knicks went 6-2 in the first eight games I attended, they’re 6-9 since then.
The only remaining games to complete the cycle are vs New Orleans (at MSG), vs Chicago (at MSG), at Atlanta (AWAY), vs Boston (at MSG), and ending the season vs the surprising Charlotte Hornets (at MSG)
The playoffs, on the other hand…
Not as catchy a catch-phrase, but I’ll work on it.
Getting better!
Jalen is dealing with ankle and neck issues.
It was the Knicks’ 12th 70-point first half of the season.
Otherwise Bam’s 83 may have fallen!