Donte's In-3-No Not Enough to Guide Undermanned Knicks Over Pacers
The New York Knicks' Saturday was defined by the number three ... for better and worse.
Hours before they faced the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks acquired OG Anunoby, the wearer of the numeral with the Toronto Raptors. Once Saturday's game tipped off, Donte DiVincenzo built a new career-high primarily from three-point range. But, alas for New York, the Knicks dropped all three legs of a calendar-year closing road trip, falling 140-126 to the Indiana Pacers. It's created the Knicks' first three-game losing streak this season, having stayed clean in that regard since last March.
Forced to play shorthanded due to trading RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley up north to acquire Anunoby's services (and also losing Quentin Grimes to an illness), the Knicks put forth a somewhat spirited effort, kept in the game primarily thanks to DiVincenzo. The newcomer scored 38 points in defeat and sank 7-of-11 with an extra point on the line and was assisted by matching 28-point efforts from Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle (both of whom shot 9-of-22 from the field).
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But the Knicks (17-15) proved to be no match for the ongoing Tyrese Haliburton revolution, as the point guard put up 22 points and 23 assists, his second game with at least 20 in each department. Four different Pacers put up a double decalogue (led by 28 from Myles Turner), but the star attraction might've been Obi Toppin.
Though he was removed from the Pacers' starting lineup, Toppin earned a sliver of revenge against his NBA employers with nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in 19 minutes of action. Toppin was the star of the last major Knicks deal, as Leon Rose and Co. traded him to Indianapolis in exchange for a pair of second-round picks.
If anything, the Knicks macabrely proved exactly why they traded for a defensive standout like Anunoby: though undermanned, it's hard not to view the Knicks' latest shortcomings as alarming, especially considering they gave up at least 140 points in a game for the third time this month (a first in franchise history). Indiana shot over 58 percent from the field, including a dominating 23-of-43 tally from three-point range. Turner and Aaron Nesmith united for 13 alone while Bennedict Mathurin had three off the bench en route to 20 on his own accord.
Haliburton's outing proved historic for both Indiana (17-14) and the Association: he tied the Indiana franchise record for most assists in a single game (now sharing the record with Jamal Tinsley) and also became just the third player in NBA history to earn consecutive games with at least 20 assists, joining the elite company of Magic Johnson (1984) and John Stockton (1990).
The Knicks open their 2024 slate on Monday afternoon when they return to Madison Square Garden to face the Minnesota Timberwolves (3 pm ET, MSG).
