Knicks blown out by Pacers in Game 4 as series evens at 2-2 | Takeaways
As injuries have mounted and minutes have piled up for their healthy players in the playoffs, the big question facing the Knicks was whether all of that would catch up to them.
Well, they received a resounding answer on Sunday.
The Knicks fell behind early and never came close to recovering, ultimately losing 121-89 to the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
In a series of tight battles and close finishes, this was the complete opposite.
The Knicks couldn’t do anything right. The Pacers rolled from the opening minutes.
Tom Thibodeau emptied his bench – whatever’s left of it – for the fourth quarter.
The Knicks shot just 33.7 percent from the field.
Now the Knicks will try to recover in Game 5 on Tuesday (8 p.m., TNT) at Madison Square Garden.
Thibodeau’s team was again without OG Anunoby as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury he suffered in Game 2. The Knicks continue to be without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Alec Burks led the Knicks on Sunday with 20 points.
Jalen Brunson finished with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting, 0-of-5 from the perimeter. The Pacers, especially Aaron Nesmith, have guarded him well the last two games.
Takeaways
Terrible first quarter sinks the Knicks
Things started out poorly and never got any better.
The Knicks couldn’t hit anything in the first quarter. The Pacers were seemingly hitting everything.
The Knicks shot just 6-of-23 for the opening period. Brunson, again clearly not 100 percent as he continues to deal with his right foot injury, missed all five of the shots he took in the first quarter.
The Pacers took a 34-14 lead by the end of the period. They were already well on their way to a blowout – Indiana later caried a commanding 69-41 lead into halftime.
The game was never close. It was never in doubt.
Indiana was in complete control.
The Knicks’ three-point shooting
It was bad.
Really bad.
The Knicks finished 7-of-37 from beyond the arc.
Donte DiVincenzo, outstanding the previous four games, was just 1-of-6 from long distance.
In a game where they needed to climb out of a huge hole, the Knicks’ inability to hit anything from deep cost them badly.
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Game 5 is now absolutely huge
It was going to be important already. Every game in the playoffs is.
Now?
Game 5 is a must-win.
The Knicks can’t afford to take another loss and fall into a series deficit before it goes back to Indianapolis for Game 6.
The Knicks need to feed off the energy at The Garden – it’s been raucous throughout the playoffs – and get off to a good start to put the Pacers away early.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Knicks vs. Pacers: Game 4 score, result, takeaways
