Playoff Game Preview: New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers, Game 2, May 8, 2024

Game one between the Pacers and the Knicks had a little bit of everything. While much of the first half was a slow feeling-out process, once the second half got going, it quickly became a back-and-forth track meet that came down to the wire and included highlight dunks, key defensive plays on both ends, big shots, and last but not least, several questionable calls.

In the end, much to the delight of Knicks fans, it was New York, and not Indiana, that came away with the ugly win. And regardless of how they won, as Josh Hart said after the game, “a win’s a win”, which is why the Knicks come into tonight’s crucial game two with a slight but ever so important 1-0 lead in the series.

But for more reasons than one, game two should prove to be just as difficult, if not more difficult than game one was. For starters, it’s hard to believe that Tyrese Haliburton plays that bad again. On Monday night, the All-Star point guard scored a measly six points on six shots and was, for the most part, a non-factor. Now, Haliburton has struggled since injuring his hamstring earlier this season and is averaging just 16.5PPG since then, but his game one performance was particularly atrocious, even for his post-injury standards. While some of his teammates cool down, it’s reasonable to expect Haliburton to be much more aggressive and in turn, a bit more impactful tonight.

Another reason game two should prove to be challenging is the fact that Mitchell Robinson’s recently announced ankle injury leaves the Knicks even more shorthanded than they already were. New York, who limped into the playoffs dealing with All-Star forward, Julius Randle’s season-ending surgery, lost key bench player Bojan Bogdanovic during the Sixers series, and will now have to find a way to keep up with the Pacers’ frantic pace with even fewer players. This will likely mean the re-insertion of Precious Achiuwa into the rotation full-time and it should also lead to Deuce McBride being relied on even more as well. Regardless, asking an injury-riddled team, that is already putting a lot on its starters’ plates, to overcome another injury to a rotation player, is a tough challenge.

Reason three is how difficult it could be for the Knicks, and especially the Villanova trio, to sustain the kind of offensive workload they have been asked to carry. Jalen Brunson and Hart’s activity on that end of the floor has been incredible for the entirety of the playoffs and Donte DiVincenzo has been extremely crucial over the last two games. All in all, it’s been both fun and amusing to watch. But it’s also somewhat worrying. Given the Knicks’ aforementioned current lack of depth, if any of those three struggle, it could be too much to overcome.

Last but not least, are the refs. The last time the Knicks were the beneficiary of some questionable officiating, was in game two of the first round. And between games two and three, there was a lot of complaining coming from the Sixers organization and its fans, which led to game three being called in Joel Embiid and the Sixers’ favor. Granted the Pacers have done much less whining and protesting than the Sixers did, there’s a chance that the referees look to try and even some things out, which could make game two a frustrating one for the Knicks and their fans to play in and watch respectively.

But there are also things to be optimistic about on the Knicks’ end. Although Haliburton should play better, it can also be argued that some of his teammates will cool down. The Pacers, who to their credit, do have a lot of depth, got strong performances from Aaron Nesmith, who scored 12 points, T.J. McConnell, who scored 18 points, and Obi Toppin, who scored 12 points. All of those guys could certainly have repeat performances, but they’re all capable of laying a dud as well. In the Pacers’ two first-round losses, Nesmith averaged just seven points on 5-18 shooting, while McConnell scored more than 10 points in just one of six first-round games, and Toppin scored a combined 13 points between the first two games of the Bucks series. The Knicks will have to be better defensively as well but it’s plausible that one or two of those guys has an off game.

There’s also some optimism that the aforementioned Achiuwa could provide the same kind of contagious spark that he provided in game four of the Sixers series. While Robinson was crucial in the second half of Monday night’s game, he did struggle to be effective in the first half. Achiuwa isn’t a great offensive fit, but he is certainly a lot healthier than Robinson is right now, and his strength as a switchy defender could prove to be very useful in this particular matchup against a screen-heavy Pacers offense.

Prediction

Regardless of which player cools down, and which player steps up, it should be another closely contested game simply because it’s a playoff game that includes the Knicks. All of their games, wins and losses, seem to be incredibly stressful and come down to the wire, and I don’t expect any different today. Indiana, led by a motivated Haliburton, will come out and try to land the first punch and steal a game at home so putting them away won’t be an easy task. That being said, the Knicks won’t fold that easily and as they have all season long, will continue to fight.

I expect Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo to continue being the dominant force that they have been. Brunson seems to be having an easier time getting off good looks than he did against the Sixers, while the fast pace seems to play into Hart’s coast-to-coast skills, and DiVincenzo has played well against the Pacers for much of the season. And on the other side, I fully expect Haliburton and Pascal Siakam to be more effective, meaning the game will likely come down to the others. How can McBride and Achiuwa, negate, or at least come close to matching the effectiveness of the Pacers’ role players?

I believe the Knicks, just like they did in games one and two of the Sixers series, and just like they did on Monday night, to find a way to secure the victory at home. But it will be another nail-biter. The knicks win off of a big bounce-back game from McBride with Achiuwa making multiple high-energy plays to get the crowd going and the defense being better overall. 118-113, Knicks.

Game Details

What: Round Two, Game Two, 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs

Who: New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers

When: 8:00 pm EST, Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Watch: TNT

Follow: @ptknicksblog