Pacers Pounce on Ailing Knicks Despite Brunson Return, Bogdanovic Debut

The return of Jalen Brunson and respective debuts of Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks weren't enough for the New York Knicks to take down the Indiana Pacers.

Many offered the New York Knicks top marks on trade deadline day after acquiring Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons at a relatively meager price.

But now comes the hard part: backing up those grades on the floor.

The first game of the Bogdanovic era was a struggle for the Knicks, who dropped a 125-111 decision to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Saturday's loss is the Knicks' third in the past four games after a nine-game winning streak ended last weekend.

Future All-Star Game starter Tyrese Haliburton had a 22-point, 12-assist double-double while Myles Turner led the way in scoring with 23 on a perfect 9-of-9 night from the field. 

John Jones, USA TODAY SPORTS

While the Knicks (33-20) showcased Bogdanovic and Burks (the latter returning to New York after a season-plus in Detroit) off the bench and welcomed back Jalen Brunson from a one-game absence, their lingering, established injuries proved to be their undoing: Isaiah Hartenstein joined the list of ailing notables alongside OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson after Thursday's loss to Dallas and did not play at all on Saturday, forcing the aging Taj Gibson into extended minutes among the opening five.

Brunson did what he could to stem the bleeding, scoring 39 points in defeat. While Bogdanovic (3-of-10 from the field) struggled, Burks scored 22 off the bench, most of it coming in a futile fourth quarter. 

Despite the numerous ailments, the Knicks kept things respectable in the early going, as they led after the first quarter and never trailed by more than five. The first 24 minutes saw Bogdanovic score all of his 11 points, Burnson put in 17, and Precious Achiuwa sink 6-of-6. That wasn't enough to negate Indiana's offensive prowess, however, as it shot over 68 percent from the floor (26-of-38, with Turner, TJ McConnell, and Pascal Siakam a combined 16-of-18) en route to a 61-58 halftime lead.

But the Knicks never swiped the lead back despite the spirited efforts of Brunson. Consecutive triples from Siakam that turned a two-point lead into one of eight proved to be harbingers of the Knicks' doom, as they never got the deficit back to one possession from there on out.

Carrying on their offensive prowess on display in the first half, the Pacers (30-24) took it to new levels in the fourth quarter by scoring each of the first eight points of the period, six earned via triples from Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard. Indiana shot 70 percent from the field (14-of-20) in the final period while the Knicks could only counter with Brunson and Burks: beyond that newly-formed backcourt pair, Knicks shooters were 0-of-6 over the last dozen, including three misfires from Bogdanovic.

In defeat, Josh Hart pulled in 10 rebounds, extending his streak of double-figure games on the boards to seven (matching the one Hartenstein reached in January). Donte DiVincenzo was limited to 14 points, ending his tally of 20-point games at five. With the loss, the Knicks also dropped their first season series to the Pacers since the 2019-20 season, when Indiana also took two of three.

Obi Toppin Trade: Who's to Blame For Knicks' Failure?

The Knicks embark upon a brief road trip to close out their pre-All-Star slate, beginning on Tuesday in Houston (8 p.m. ET, MSG).