Knicks vs. Pacers Preview: How, Who to Watch in Trade Deadline Aftermath

Bojan Bogdanovic is set to make his debut for the new-look New York Knicks, as they face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

Leon Rose's first chance to check on his tended Madison Square Garden lands on Saturday night.

The revamped New York Knicks are set to take to MSG hardwood for the first time as they'll get some newfound reinforcements back for their weekend showdown against the Indiana Pacers. 

While the Knicks are far from full strength, they're quenched and then some compared to the unit of eight, later seven, that they field in Thursday's loss to Dallas. Saturday will likely stage Bojan Bogdanovic's metropolitan debut alongside the returning Alec Burks, who will re-don a Knicks jersey for the first time since 2022. Both were acquired prior to Thursday's trade deadline from the Detroit Pistons and are set to provide the Knicks with one of the deepest rotations in the Association ... when all are attended to, of course.

The Knicks already know that they'll be without primary centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson as well as their fellow starters OG Anunoby and Julius Randle come Saturday night. As of press time, point guard Jalen Brunson has been labeled questionable with an ankle injury that kept him out of the aforementioned loss to the Mavericks.

Indiana, which acquired Cory Joseph and Doug McDermott on Thursday, has proven capable of taking advantage of a depleted Knicks team: back on Dec. 30, the Pacers handled business at home against New York, which had just traded for Anunoby hours before a 140-126 loss. Saturday will serve as the rubber match in the Knicks and Pacers' annual series, as the Knicks overcame a 15-point deficit thanks to a 40-tally outing from Brunson en route to a 109-105 victory on Feb. 1.

Saturday will mark the final game of a lengthy homestand for the Knicks, one where all but one of their most recent 14 contests were played in New York City (including one at Barclays Center against the Brooklyn Nets). New York has defended the Garden well, as their 19-7 mark at home is third-best in the Eastern Conference behind only Boston and Milwaukee.

What: Indiana Pacers (29-24) @ New York Knicks (33-19) 

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When/Watch: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, MSG

Who's Favored: IND -3.5

Keep An Eye On: Bojan Bogdanovic

The Knicks know what they're getting in Burks, but Bogdanovic is the particularly intriguing piece of Thursday's trade. A major decision will have to be made about his lineup status once Anunoby and Randle heal, but it's not often a team can swing a 20-plus-point scorer for the relatively meager headlining price of Quentin Grimes. Bogdanovic is well-versed in Indiana lore, having spent two seasons as a starter in Indianapolis. Perhaps most importantly, Bogdanovic's increasingly impressive shooting abilities (trying over seven three-pointers a game) will come up big for a Knicks group that struggled to replace Brunson and Randle's scoring on Thursday night. Donte DiVincenzo has been an offensive godsend but it's not right to place the offensive burden entirely upon him. 

Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS

Pacer to Watch: Pascal Siakam

While the Pacers have made undeniable progress this season, trading for Siakam has not been the gamechanger some thought it would be: Indiana has posted just a 5-7 record with the former Raptor in the lineup and sits just a half-game above Miami and Orlando at the Play-In Tournament cutoff line. If there's one thing Siakam has done, he's at least partly shored up the Pacers' biggest weakness in rebounding, hauling in 7.1 a game and at least somewhat shrinking the team's negative margin in his first dozen (minus 2.7 to 2.3). Siakam's abilities will be crucial come Saturday, as he'll have to take advantage of Hartenstein's absence if the Pacers want to pick up a bit of a statement win before hosing the All-Star festivities next weekend.

They Said It

"I think that was a really good trade in terms of what we needed. Adding (Burks), a good scorer and playmaker off the bench, and then Bojan, someone who can knock down shots, a shot-maker who can get guys involved, it was definitely what we needed. I think Leon and the front office (were) cooking.”-Josh Hart on the Thursday trade (h/t Peter Botte, New York Post)

Bogdanovic, Burks Trade: Leon Rose's Knicks Masterpiece?

Prediction

On paper, it feels like it's asking a lot for a Knicks team with some new moving pieces to take down an Indiana group that admittedly matches up very well with them. But the Knicks have responded to such challenges well: in their first game with Anunoby on the ledger, for example, they took down the Minnesota Timberwolves on New Year's Day. Most of the team's fortunes, at least in this one, who probably hinge on Brunson's status but familiarity ... Bogdanovic with the Pacers, Burks with the Knicks ... should allow them to steal on at home on Saturday.

Knicks 109, Pacers 107