The Knicks came into Thursday night flying high. Fresh off their NBA Cup win over the Spurs and riding a six-game win streak, they looked every bit like a team finding its rhythm-and fast.
Winners of 10 of their last 11, New York had momentum, confidence, and a matchup against a struggling 6-20 Indiana Pacers squad. On paper, this one looked like it should’ve gone the Knicks’ way early.
But the Pacers had other plans.
Indiana came out swinging, jumping to an 11-point lead by the end of the first quarter. The Knicks, maybe feeling the weight of the back-to-back schedule or just coming out flat, found themselves in an early hole. But this New York team has shown all season that it’s built to grind-and grind they did.
By the fourth quarter, the Knicks had trimmed the lead to six, setting the stage for a dramatic finish at Madison Square Garden. And when the moment called for a closer, Jalen Brunson stepped up-again.
With just under five seconds left on the clock, Brunson buried a go-ahead three that sent the Garden into a frenzy. It was the kind of shot you expect from your leader, and Brunson delivered.
But the job wasn’t done yet.
On Indiana’s final possession, OG Anunoby made the kind of play that doesn’t always show up in the box score, but wins you games. He jumped a passing lane and came up with a game-sealing steal, slamming the door shut on any hopes the Pacers had of pulling off the upset. It was a fitting end to a game where the Knicks had to dig deep and find a way.
Brunson led the charge with 25 points-his second straight game hitting that mark-while also adding seven boards, seven assists, and three steals in a complete performance. But after the final buzzer, he didn’t talk about his heroics. Instead, he turned the spotlight to a teammate who’s been making the most of his moment.
“I want to thank the Lord for Tyler Kolek,” Brunson said.
And it’s not hard to see why.
With Miles McBride sidelined, Kolek has stepped into the backup point guard role and hasn’t looked back. Against Indiana, he was poised, efficient, and aggressive-finishing with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and dishing out 11 assists for a double-double. It was the kind of performance that doesn't just earn you minutes-it earns you trust.
As Landry Shamet continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury, Kolek’s emergence couldn’t come at a better time for New York’s second unit. He’s showing he can run the offense, set the pace, and make smart decisions in crunch time. For a Knicks team that’s already deep, adding another reliable ball-handler into the mix only makes them more dangerous.
Next up? A quick turnaround with a Friday night showdown against the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s the second game of a back-to-back, and the Knicks will need every bit of that depth as they try to keep the win streak alive. But if Thursday night was any indication, this team isn’t just hot-they’re finding ways to win, even when it’s not pretty.
And that’s the mark of a team that’s starting to believe in itself.