Knicks 110, Pacers 107: ‘Sealed with a French Kiss’

It felt like a loss.

The Knicks did not look like they had come to play from the start, forcing a time-out from an angry Tom Thibodeau after falling quickly 8-0.

Taj Gibson, one of the two healthy centers in the team, was injured after 4 minutes and it did not look like the 16-17 Knicks would improve for the first time since 2017 after 0.5 games.

The Pacers extended their lead to 16 in the second quarter, and the Knicks look dead in the water.

What followed was one of the most inspiring pieces this season. In a 24-6 series, the Knicks repeatedly pulled out in transition as Quickley drained one of his three tries in the night effortlessly, Randle had two powerful dives, RJ dropped two of his four tries of the game and Derrick Rose put it off. with a buzz from the first half, three a la Carmelo, against the Bobcats.

Things felt less certain in the second half.

Despite Immanuel Quickley entering immediately at the start of the fourth quarter with a four-point game, Immanuel Quickley was drawn shortly thereafter despite only 13 minutes.

The Knicks had a fainter series of Rose-Burks-Bullock-Randle-Noel when their lead diminished and the game on the road seemed to be a disappointing loss, with only veterans gaining valuable experience in the tight end.

With 6:37 left in the fourth remaining series, Myles Turner makes a try to put the Pacers up 94-91.

Fortunately, the youth movement was again at the point of 4:38, when RJ Barrett tuned in. Although Barrett may be inconsistent overall, he has played reliably as an all-NBA candidate against the Pacers, averaging 25 points per game against them this season. The fourth quarter of his impressive game tonight was no exception.

In four straight possessions, the 20-year-old looked like a veteran when he hit a try, drove for a one-and-a-half lineup, Randle on a try assist and drove for another layup.

Barrett, who finished with 24 points at 8-17 from the field and 4-6 from behind the arc, helped the Knicks build a 104-98 lead with 2 minutes left.

The momentum was short-lived as TJ McConnell quickly knocked Derrick Rose off the track for a layup and Edmond Sumner struck for a transition three on the next two possessions.

The Knicks then sank to the defense, stopping two clutches and forcing the Pacers to play the foul game. Julius Randle was then overloaded with MVP songs while leaving the Knicks with 108.73 with 29.7 seconds left.

In what is becoming a trend at Randle, he turned the bad performance into a tremendous one, with staggering 28 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

The game seemed to be in the Knicks’ hands, but things have never been so simple with this franchise.

Sabonis jumped in a try to bring them within two with 25 seconds left, and RJ’s Indiana magic disappeared at the worst possible moment as he missed two key subjects that would frustrate the game.

The positive vibes were restored when Frank Ntiliikina tuned in to Indiana’s game connecting effort with 15 seconds left for defensive purposes.

Despite finishing just five points within ten minutes, Ntilikina made one of the most important plays of the match, with a steal side and two free throws drained with 2.9 seconds left to put the match out of reach.

As P & T’s Walt Clyde Phraser remarked, the game was sealed with a French kiss.

It was a great match, despite the poor start. Julius Randle surpassed his fellow All-Star Domantas Sabonis, Nerlens Noel played in his 41-minute playful defense, and Derrick Rose provided a steady offensive presence with 17 points and 11 assists.

The most exciting: the Knicks have a still elusive record of 500 after 34 games and are in fourth place in the very strange Eastern Conference.

The biggest concern with tonight’s game is that the Knicks will play in Detroit again tomorrow night.

While Rose, Randle, Noel and Rose are playing 38+ minutes tonight, it’s important to manage their playing time tomorrow night so as not to extend them too much, especially not Rose. Rose hasn’t played that many minutes since the 2019 season, and in the six games he played 38 minutes, he usually only had to sit out a game or two later each time with an injury.

But if Quickley, Ntilikina, Obi Toppin and Kevin Knox work together just 31 minutes tonight, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find some energetic fresh legs, especially with the impressive recent play of the first three.