Sadly: Injury setback stroke hard as knicks continue to suffer significantly

Terribly, the Pacers quickly even the series against the Knicks with a decisive 121-89 win in Game 4, making the score 2-2.

The Knicks suffered a serious setback when they were forced to play without OG Anunoby for the second straight game. They were unable to muster the same level of competition that they had in the close loss in Game 3.

The Pacers dominated from the first tip-off, jumping out to a dominating 34-14 lead in the first quarter and holding onto that lead the entire way.

The Knicks were down as many as 43 points in the second half, with their closest lead coming from a 28-point deficit, despite a fantastic effort from Alec Burks, who scored a team-high 20 points off the bench, and contributions from Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride.

Throughout the first three quarters, the Pacers’ offensive ability was evident as they routinely broke through the Knicks’ defense to score 32 points or more.

With 20 points, Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers in scoring, and TJ McConnel contributed 15 points as well. Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakam both scored 14 points.

But the Knicks had a terrible night as they were unable to settle into a routine, shooting a pitiful 30-89 from the field, including just 7-37 from beyond the arc.

By strategically resting his starters for the majority of the second half, coach Thibodeau gave players who saw little action during the regular season crucial playing time. Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, and DaQuan Jeffries all took advantage of the chance to contribute significantly and left their marks on the scoreboard.

Milton, who played a significant 15 minutes last night and averaged a meager 4.5 minutes a game in the six regular season games, scored three points. Jeffries, who played an average of only 2.7 minutes per game across 15 games, was also called upon and scored 5 points in 13 minutes on the court. Even Diakite, who played in just 9 minutes of action the entire season, had a chance to show off his abilities by contributing 9 minutes to the match. He received a 2.

The Knicks intend to recover and mount a strong comeback in anticipation of Game 5, which is set for Tuesday night at 8:00 pm. They are counting on the return of their rested starters to tip the scales in their favor once more.

READ MORE:

Josh Hart of the Knicks takes much of the blame for the disastrous Game 4

Josh Hart, a forward for the New York Knicks, didn’t hold back while discussing the team’s appalling performance in Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers. Josh Hart accepted the majority of the blame for the team’s sloppy play in their 89-121 defeat.

Hart remarked following the game, “I put that on my shoulders” (h/t New York Daily News). “I should have been the team’s energy person, but I accomplished nothing. I didn’t contribute anything. That’s what I took on. We now need to concentrate on rest and recuperation and, as I mentioned earlier, prepare for Tuesday.

In Game 4, the Knicks did not play with much vigor.

Hart only got two points and three rebounds in his meager twenty-four minutes of play. Hart had been playing nearly the whole game for much of the playoffs thus far, so the reduced workload might help him the rest of the series. For someone who is only 6’4″ tall, he had managed to become the postseason’s top rebounder as of Sunday.

After a largely noncompetitive game, he and the rest of the squad displayed obvious signs of exhaustion from the beginning to the end of Game 4. Four key rotation players are currently out for the Knicks, and it’s still unclear when rookie OG Anunoby will be able to return from a left hamstring strain he sustained late in Game 2.

Furthermore, Jalen Brunson’s ability to score is obviously being hampered by the foot pain he has been having since Game 2. Brunson is averaging 22 points in the last two games while shooting only 37% from the field and going 2 for 11 from three-point range during that time.

Josh Hart is starting to experience the consequences of his heavy workload.

“Am I experiencing it? Yes. But really, I believe that everyone does,” Hart remarked (via New York Daily News). “So, the playoffs are what matter in the end. You have to force yourself to do what your body demands, and today I was unable to do that. I have to improve. No justifications exist.

The Knicks’ only option at this point is to put the series victory ahead of this game. Even though Game 5 is a must-win because Game 6 is in Indiana, the Knicks still hold the home-court edge.

Though it will be intriguing to watch how the Knicks respond to their worst loss of the year, the key goal for now is to get the guys rested and well for what will be their biggest game of the season.