Game Preview: New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers, February 10, 2024

In a Saturday night contest, the New York Knicks (33-19) host the Indiana Pacers (29-24) for their third and final meeting of the regular season. This should be our first chance to see Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanović in action since Thursday’s trade.

The season series stands at 1-1. The Knicks lost to the Pacers back in December, falling 140-126, but played tougher defense in their last game to clinch a 109-105 win. In the latter tilt, Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 40 points. Despite the Pacers leading the league for scoring, they eked out just 47 points in the second half of their loss. Precious Achiuwa, filling in for the injured Julius Randle (shoulder) played 43 minutes, scored 12 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and had a defensive rating of 98.

Nothing much has changed stat-wise for Indy since they last played our heroes. The Hoosiers remain the league’s top-scoring squad and still play flakey defense. They’ve won five of their last ten. On Thursday, they traded Buddy Hield to the 76ers for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, and three second-round picks.

Also on Thursday, Indiana was roasted by the Warriors, 131-109. Starters for that one were Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. Expect the same tonight.

In their last meeting with New York, Jalen Smith led the Pacers with 20 points from the bench, while Siakam added 18 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. For New York, Isaiah Hartenstein had a sterling game, with 19 boards and 12 points.

The Knicks lost a hard-fought, short-handed game to Dallas on Thursday. Despite having only eight players available—and losing Isaiah Hartenstein at halftime with a sore Achilles—the last Knicks standing gave the Mavs a helluva fight until the final minutes. On Saturday they will play again with an incomplete deck: Hartenstein has been ruled out and Jalen Brunson is “questionable” with a sprained ankle.

Prediction

The ESPN predictor gives the Knicks a 53% chance of winning tonight. Haliburton is still nursing a nagging hamstring, and the Pacers have looked increasingly vulnerable of late. While the Knicks are short-handed—Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson are vital missing pieces—Jalen Brunson might return after missing Thursday’s game against Dallas due to a sprained ankle, Donte DiVincenzo has been lights-out from deep, and Bogs and Burks will provide extra firepower from the bench.

New York went on a win streak after trading for Josh Hart last year and did so again after trading for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa this season. The new-player bounce will be in full effect tonight as the Knicks roll over the Pacers in the second half. New York by +10.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers

When: 7:30 pm EST, Saturday, February 10, 2024

Where: Madison Square Garden, NYC

Watch: MSG

Follow: @ptknicksblog