Immanuel Quickley leads reserves as Knicks top Pacers
Immanuel Quickley of the Knicks reacts during the fourth quarter against the Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It was another night when the energy and enthusiasm came from the bench mob for the Knicks. But on this night, it proved infectious as parts of the struggling starting unit joined in.
Julius Randle flew into the sideline to save a loose ball. RJ Barrett ran ahead of the pack to finish off a dunk.
In the end, it was enough for the Knicks to earn a much-needed 92-84 win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
The win put an end to a two-game losing streak for the Knicks (8-6) and at least temporarily resolved some of the issues that have plagued the team.
It took the second unit to lift the Knicks again. Immanuel Quickley was racing around the court like a child stoked up on candy. Derrick Rose did the same, giving away a few more years. But this time they brought their teammates along with them as the Knicks overcame their own flaws, forcing the Pacers into a 10-point fourth quarter in which they shot 2-for-20, including 1-for-13 from three-point range.
The Pacers’ last field goal came with 7:06 left, a driving layup by Malcolm Brogdon that gave Indiana an 80-79 lead. The Knicks, who had trailed by 12 points in the third quarter, ended the game on a 13-2 run.
"Even from the start, I liked the energy of the team on both sides of the ball," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I thought we played really hard defensively. And I thought offensively there was great movement and there was great pace. Now we missed some open shots, but they were the right plays, and if we play like that, we’re going to have a chance to win.
"Indiana’s been playing great basketball. They’re a tough team to match up with. They play hard, they’re tough, play smart. So it’s a good win for us."
Quickley (4-for-4 from three-point range) and Kemba Walker (8-for-11 shooting) each had 16 points for the Knicks.
Brogdon scored 22 points, Domantas Sabonis added 21 points and 15 rebounds and Caris LeVert had 17 points for the Pacers.
The Knicks were forced to alter their usual rotations. With Nerlens Noel sidelined again and Mitchell Robinson departing in the third quarter with a sore left ankle, Thibodeau went with Taj Gibson and even attempted the small-ball lineup with Randle and Obi Toppin up front in the fourth quarter.
But as has become a habit, the Knicks left Walker and Evan Fournier on the bench from late in the third quarter to the end. Thibodeau opted to shuffle Rose, Barrett and Alec Burks in and out while keeping Quickley on the floor. Fournier sat out the entire fourth quarter for the third straight game.
It wasn’t without reason. The Knicks trailed 49-48 at the half and the starters seemed lost on both ends of the floor.
Out of the intermission, the starters dug a hole again as Indiana ran off a 15-4 burst to take a 64-52 lead.
Quickley tied the score at 74, draining a three-pointer with 8:52 to play. He put them in front with 5:02 to play, hitting a corner three on a feed from Randle (11 points, 11 rebounds). Rose found Barrett with a pass through traffic for a dunk and an 87-82 lead with 3:26 left.
"I feel like our whole group played with a lot of energy," Quickley said. "I feel like the starters got us going today . . . They started flying around, just helping us get going. We are a team. I say it all the time; if we don’t have it, they got it. When they don’t have it, we got it. We just play together. The energy was there from top to bottom tonight."
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
