INDIANAPOLIS — All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson scored 29 points and posted nine assists and former Indiana University star O.G. Anunoby scored 25 points to lead the Knicks to a 101-92 win over the Pacers in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Pacers kept it close until the fourth quarter but still took their 12th straight defeat to fall to 15-52, the worst record in the NBA. The Knicks improved to 43-25 and sit in third in the Eastern Conference.
Center Mitchell Robinson added 12 points and 22 rebounds for the Knicks. Swingman Mikal Bridges scored 11 points and hit a critical 3-pointer in the final minutes to put the game away. Forward Jarace Walker led the Pacers with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Center Ivica Zubac had 11 points and eight rebounds in just under 29 minutes in his second game with the Pacers. Forward Aaron Nesmith had 12 points and point guard T.J. McConnell had 10 points and six assists.
Here are three observations.
Ivica Zubac scores in double figures in extended minutes
Ivica Zubac may have still been on some kind of minutes restriction on Friday night in his second game on the floor with the Pacers, but he played minutes in all four quarters and made an impact across the board.
Zubac scored 11 points on 5 of 9 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded an assist, a steal and a block in 29 minutes after playing just 16 on Thursday.
Zubac’s life was made significantly more difficult in Friday’s matchup as opposed to Thursday’s as he had to deal with Knicks rebounding machine Mitchell Robinson. Robinson scored 12 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in the game and made Zubac feel him throughout the evening. That being said, the Pacers played more of their key players on Friday night than Thursday so Zubac got his first chance to play with key rotation members Aaron Nesmith, T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin after all of them were out against the Suns. They got to benefit from his screening and gravity, and he got to benefit from their ability to make shots.
T.J. McConnell keeps Pacers in it with energy off bench
T.J. McConnell missed the Pacers’ previous two games with right hamstring soreness after being ruled out late in Sunday’s loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland. The time off seemed to suit him well as he was one of the Pacers’ most efficient players and helped their second unit keep the team in striking distance in the second half.
McConnell scored 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting and dished out six assists against zero turnovers in 20:28 on the floor, posting a 1 plus-minus figure. He made life difficult on Jalen Brunson in brief stretches of that matchup and also matched the energy of Knicks sparkplug backup point guard Jose Alvarado.
Knicks remaining stars provide a little too much for Pacers
The Knicks entered Friday’s game without their All-NBA center in Karl-Anthony Towns and their do-everything swingman in Josh Hart, but they got enough production from the rest of their stalwarts to outlast the Pacers even though it was tight in the fourth quarter.
All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson provided the foundation as usual, scoring 29 points on 11 of 25 shooting. Former Indiana University star and two-way wing O.G. Anunoby was a problem on both ends, scoring 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. Wing Mikal Bridges was quiet most of the evening but his 3-pointer with 1:57 to go turned a four-point advantage into a seven-point lead and ended up being the decisive blow. Bridges finished with 11 points.
And Mitchell Robinson stepped into Towns’ shoes and filled in admirably. More minutes meant even more rebounds than usual as he finished with 22. He also scored 12 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Knicks: Indiana loses 12th straight game
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