Breaking: New York Knicks Show Off High-Powered Offense in Win Over Indiana

On Tuesday, the New York Knicks (1-1) were gutted by Boston on the road in their season opener. Tonight, they hosted the Indiana Pacers (1-1) for their home opener at Madison Square Garden. The two Eastern Conference rivals last met in the semifinals, where the Pacers won a grueling seven-game series. A revenge victory would certainly boost confidence in our beloved team.

New York set the tone early with a balanced offense, as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 12 first-half points and Mikal Bridges got his groove back. Backed by sharp shooting and tight defense—holding Indiana’s starting backcourt scoreless—they built a 61-45 halftime lead. The Knicks dominated the third quarter, extending their lead to 31 with hot shooting and stifling defense, outscoring the Pacers 34-19. While the Yankees took a lead in L.A., the Knicks closed out their house party with a 123-98 victory. God bless America.

In their first games as Knicks at the Garden, Towns and Bridges gave us their best. The former’s statline was 21 points, 17 boards, two blocks, and a steal, making both three pointers he shot and 9-of-10 from the line; the latter’s line was 21 points, five assists, one steal, 8-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep. Julius who?

Jalen Brunson was a measly +36 in his 30 minutes, scored just 26 points on 10-of-19 from the field and dished up five assists to one turnover. Quiet night for Superman.

OG Anunoby defended like mad and scored 14 points on 6-of-12 from the field. Meanwhile, Josh Hart played through a tender hamstring and still logged a 20-10 double-double with three assists and a still. He shot 8-of-15.

With his roster reduced by injuries, Coach Tom Thibodeau played an eight-man rotation for most of the night, although the rookies got a little run at the end because of how perfectly the starters had played. Their defense was so good, the Pacers shot just 3-of-30—

(3-of-30?!)

—from downtown. Indiana’s backcourt had an especially miserable night, with just two points for Andrew Nembhard and a goose egg for All-Star Haliburton. It is hard to imagine the Knicks playing a better game than this, and there are 80 regular ones left.

First Half

New York set the tempo from the start, with both offenses scoring just 10 points apiece within the first six minutes.