The third and fourth seed in the Eastern conference will face each other tonight. The third seed, New York Knicks are visiting Indianapolis to square off with the Indiana Pacers. Both of the teams are coming off losses and looking to set the record straight.
The Knicks were hosting the Celtics on Saturday and they were trashed by a very physical Boston side. The Celtics won the game 131-104. The Knicks starting five were seriously underperforming. Josh Hart played for 38 minutes and had a plus-minus at -31 and Precious Ochucwa had -37. Josh Hart is doubtful for the game versus the Pacers. Karl-Anthony Towns only had nine points on eight shots. The Knicks have struggled with the best teams in the NBA so far this season.
OG is one of the best defenders in the NBA and crucial to the Knicks and their head coach, Tom Tibbideau. Anynoby will miss his fourth straight game due to a sprained foot. The Knicks are losing much quality on the defensive end of the floor with OG out. The Pacers and The Knicks have faced off twice this season and won one game each. New York has a record of 34 wins and 18 losses at this point of the season. The Knicks have won seven out of their last ten games. Mitchell Robinson is still out but cleared to play five on five in practice.
The Indiana Pacers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon (Cali Time) 117-124. Indiana got down by 25 points in the second quarter and could not get close enough after that. Pascal Siakam had 23 points and Tyrese Haliburton 19. Ben Shepard, Obi Toppin, and Aaron Neismith provided some good minutes off the bench. They combined for 30 points and outscored The Lakers bench.
The Pacers must be awake from the tip-off in this one, something they haven’t been as of late. Indiana has to stop making life difficult for themselves at the beginning of games. The Pacers have a record of 29 wins and 22 losses. Indiana’s home record is 14-14. The Knicks' road record is at 16-8 currently. Isaiah Jackson is out for The Indiana Pacers and Myles Turner is questionable.
