The Knicks came up short again Friday night, and the frustration was baked into the box score. A team that had won six of seven after opening the season with three straight losses is now sitting at 6-6 after back-to-back defeats, and the Pacers exposed the same issue that keeps showing up: flashes of quality, not enough of it for long enough.
That’s been the story too often this season. New York has enough talent to hang around, and enough uneven stretches to let games slip away.
On nights like this, the Knicks usually lean on Jalen Brunson to drag them across the finish line. He’s done that plenty before.
This time, even with a strong line, he couldn’t quite finish the job.
Brunson put up 33 points on 11-22 shooting and added 11 assists. He also dealt with a few missed looks he normally buries, some uncharacteristic turnovers and early foul trouble. Still, it was a big night overall, just not the kind that turns into a win by itself.
Karl-Anthony Towns was right there with him as one of the main reasons New York had a chance. He stayed efficient, controlled the glass and handed out five assists while turning it over just once. He also missed what would’ve been a game-tying basket in the final seconds, but like Brunson, he did plenty to keep the Knicks in it.
The biggest offensive bright spot behind those two was Mikal Bridges. After an 11-game slump, he finally snapped out of it and delivered his best scoring game of the season with 18 points on 8-12 shooting. It also came after Mike Brown’s recent comments about his minutes, and Bridges answered with the kind of outing New York has been waiting for.
Deuce McBride kept his strong three-point shooting going and was the only bench player to score more than five points. He finished with nine points on 3-8 shooting and nearly outscored Josh Hart, Tyler Kolek and Landry Shamet by himself.
Shamet had a quieter night. He went 1-5 from deep, finished with five points and still managed to post a team-best plus-9. It wasn’t a loud performance, but it was steadier than most of the bench around him.
Kolek logged more run than usual because Brunson was in foul trouble early, and he had a tougher time creating offense against Indiana’s defense. The assist numbers weren’t there, but he did chip in with six rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, while competing defensively.
OG Anunoby had one of the rougher nights of the bunch. He shot 4-13 from the field, 2-8 from three, committed three turnovers and finished with just one assist and two rebounds. His defense also slipped, especially after halftime, and the Knicks needed more from him in a game like this.
Andre Drummond brought down six rebounds in 14 minutes, which fits with his strong per-36 rebounding numbers, but the rest of his night was shaky. He missed his only shot, turned it over and looked a step slow defensively for much of the second half.
Jordan Clarkson didn’t provide the spark New York needed, either. He missed both of his shot attempts, collected one rebound, committed two fouls and finished at minus-11 in nine minutes.
Hart’s line was saved by five rebounds and four assists, but the zero points in 23 minutes stood out. He had just returned from an ankle injury that kept him out for a few games, but even with that in mind, he knows he has to give more when he’s on the floor.
Dadiet barely played, which says enough about where things stand with him right now.
In Other News...
Knicks Tempers Boiled Over After Another Painful Loss To Indiana
Tempers spilled over after another frustrating night against Indiana, with Jose Alvarado needing to be held back from Pacers guard Quenton Jackson following a postgame shoving and verbal exchange. The scene came after an already heated matchup that had included an earlier on-court exchange between Jalen Brunson and Jackson, adding another layer to a rivalry that has become increasingly combustible for the Knicks.
Brunson did his part with 33 points and 11 assists, but New York still came up short in a 106-104 NBA Cup loss that left the team at 6-6 overall and 0-2 in East Group B. Indiana, meanwhile, moved to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in group play, and the Knicks were left with more than just a narrow defeat to sort through once the final horn sounded. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Are Starting To Show A Frustrating Trend Fans Feared
The Knicks latest loss to the Pacers had the feel of a game they knew they had to have, and for long stretches they just could not quite get it turned around. New York trailed for much of the night before dropping a 106-104 decision, with the kind of small-margin issues that have a way of sticking with a team over time. Free throw disparity and rebounding were both part of the problem, and the Knicks spent much of the evening trying to claw back into a game that kept slipping just out of reach.
Even when the energy picked up and the bench tried to stir things with technical fouls and timeouts, the Knicks never fully erased the deficit. The offense had its own issues as well, leaving New York to lean on late-game urgency instead of steady execution. For a team trying to establish a better rhythm, nights like this are the frustrating ones because they look less like a one-off and more like a pattern fans were already worried about. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Have A Tough Center Depth Decision To Make
The Knicks are staring at a familiar roster math problem as the season settles in, and it centers on the back end of the frontcourt. Their third-string centers have been on a short leash for minutes, which has left the team weighing whether to add another body at the position. One name that has surfaced is Lawson Lovering, the seven-foot center recently waived by the Lakers and left unclaimed on waivers.
Lovering brings the kind of profile teams often circle when they need emergency size: rebounding, rim protection and a chance to soak up minutes if the depth chart gets thin. The catch is that a move for him would likely force the Knicks to clear a two-way spot, with guard Jaden Akins the player who could be squeezed out. For a team already managing roster challenges, it is the sort of decision that can quietly shape the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]