Jalen Brunson Embraces Knicks' Challenge vs. Pacers

The New York Knicks have a chance to overcome early adversity against a familiar foe.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) during the third quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Even though he sustained a tough injury the last time they did battle, New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has to hand it to the Indiana Pacers.

“It’s a team we lost to last year. I mean, they have our number," Brunson said on Thursday, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. "So we’ve just got to be ready to go.” 

One perhaps couldn't have scripted the start of the Knicks' season, at least if they were trying to heighten the drama: it'd a stretch to say that New York (0-1) is reeling after Tuesday's season-opening loss in Boston but the Knicks no doubt endured an early punch in the mouth in the form of a 132-109 defeat at the hands of the defending champion Celtics.

Now, the Knicks open their 2024-25 Madison Square Garden slate with a visit from the Indiana Pacers on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN). Indiana, of course, ended the Knicks' most recent playoff run with a seven-game victory in last spring's Eastern Conference Semifinals. The finale was a 130-109 shellacking that left a bittersweet aura on the Knicks' most successful season in over a decade.

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) brings the ball up court against Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) during the third quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Brunson was one of several Knicks stars who could only watch as the Pacers clinched their ticket to the conference finals: he endured a hand injury in the second half while a hobbled OG Anunoby played only five minutes. Neither Mitchell Robinson nor the since-departed Julius Randle partook at any point as their seasons had ended prematurely.

Brunson, however, isn't interested in playing make-believe, especially with the Knicks primary unit stocked up with Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns now in tow.

“You can always say ‘what if,’" Brunson said. "But they won and we’ve got to live with that. We’ve got to move forward.”

Even before injuries ate away at the Knicks' championship chances, the Pacers (1-0) always seemed destined to be a thorn in the metropolitan side: they won two of the three regular season meetings and even led by as much as 15 in the one loss. Indiana also led the league in scoring and distribution, a perfect counter to the Knicks' defensive-minded pace.

Despite the struggles on Tuesday, the mood at the Knicks' Tarrytown base appeared to be relatively breezy as the return to MSG loomed. Friday will mark the official Manhattan debuts of Bridges and Towns, who were each called upon to solve the issues that plagued the Knicks in their yellow-tinted demise.

"I felt the energy in the preseason games, so I'm just excited to go out there and get an opportunity to go get a win," Bridges said in another Botte report. "It’s going to be real fun.”

“It’s been unbelievable every single time,” Brunson said. “So I don’t take things for granted whatsoever.”

The Pacers are led by Tyrese Haliburton, who played up their burgeoning rivalry when the two did mock battle during WWE's visit to MSG over the summer. The Pacers prevailed in their own season opener on Wednesday, which saw them take a 115-109 decision from the Detroit Pistons. Myles Turner scored 20 points while Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin added 19 each.

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