Knicks get at least 20 points from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart in rout of Pacers
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is defended by Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Opening night at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks is an occasion filled with pomp and circumstance. Before fans even entered the arena, they encountered a new billboard declaring Jalen Brunson “King of New York.” Another featured his mother, Sandra, with a message from her telling him, “You were given the keys to lead for a reason.” Another spot had Body Armor reps handing out foam fingers in the form of his three-point celebration.
The last time Brunson was on the court here for a game was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when the Knicks were eliminated by the Pacers, their opponent on Friday night. He spent the fourth quarter in the trainer’s room as a broken hand and the loss put a disappointing ending on what had been a magical season for him.
So after a brutal season-opening loss in Boston, it was no surprise that Brunson led the Knicks back to normalcy. But on Friday night, he didn’t do it with one of the 40-point nights that marked last season’s run. Rather, Brunson did what a captain does — push the team as a whole back on track — as the Knicks earned a 123-98 win over the Pacers.
It may not avenge the playoff ouster, but it provided a fine turnaround after the loss in Boston.
“We just showed up,” Brunson said. “Plain and simple. I think Boston came out with an energy that we just didn’t match, and it’s unacceptable. Today, we knew that we had to pick it up. We had to turn the page and be better. I feel like we did that tonight, so that’s something we can grow off of.”
The Knicks led by as many as 33 points, and from the very start, it was evident that this would be different. They were aggressively attacking on defense and sharing the ball on offense. They led by only a point after the first quarter, but Brunson was the last of the five starters to get on the board as the ball moved and everyone got a chance.
By the time this was over, all five starters had contributed nearly equally, with Brunson leading the way with 26 points. Karl-Anthony Towns made his Garden debut with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Josh Hart had 20 points and 10 rebounds. And maybe most promising, Mikal Bridges, after a scoreless first half Tuesday and 16 points after the game had become a blowout loss, scored 21 points, shot 8-for-12 from the floor and provided the perimeter defense that his acquisition promised. He held Tyrese Haliburton scoreless and to 0-for-8 shooting, 0-for-7 from three-point range.
After surrendering an NBA-record-tying 29 made three-pointers against Boston, the Knicks held the Pacers to 3-for-29 shooting from beyond the arc.
“I love the way our guys responded to the game,” Tom Thibodeau said. “Just I thought the fight was a lot greater, the togetherness, and I thought helping each other out was a lot better. And so as the communication improves, I think we are still a work in progress, we have to get a feel, but the way we played together, and guys did a lot of different things.”
A contract extension in the summer and being named team captain ensured that Brunson would arrive Friday night as a returning hero. But the billboards and the “C‘‘ on his chest also bring responsibility. The face of the franchise on the best of days also must be that face on the worst.
And Tuesday in Boston was about as bad as it can get, as the Knicks fell behind by as many as 35 points.
So Brunson took that one on his shoulders. Last week, he spoke of Hart feeling lost and said it was his responsibility to change that feeling. And when newcomers Towns and Bridges struggled to find their footing in the opener, Brunson said it was his job to make them fit.
“Making sure everyone has confidence,” he said. “No matter what the situation is, no matter what is said on the outside, just making sure we’re giving each other confidence. We’re all we got inside the lines, and so it doesn’t matter what happens outside of there. It’s all about us.”
“Those are our leaders and they’ve been here,” Bridges said of Brunson and Hart. “They’re just trying to make easy on everybody else. They know the offense better than anybody, so they kind of know when they’ll get their shots. It speaks to how unselfish they are and just trying to win.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said facing the new-look Knicks is imposing. “There’s certainly nothing easy about it,” he said. “It’s gonna be hard. They’re a top team. They’re projected to be way up there. Regardless of what happened in Boston the other night, they’re coming home, we’re coming off of last year’s playoffs. This will be, on your third day of the regular season, this will be the closest thing to a Game 7 atmosphere and feel. So it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to compete in that environment and this venue, and we’ve gotta embrace that and keep understanding how hard it’s gonna be.”
Notes & quotes: Pacome Dadiet may have been a surprise addition to the rotation in the opener after a shoulder dislocation cost Landry Shamet his spot with the team, but Thibodeau spoke highly of him. “Just next man get in there,” he said. “So he’s done a good job, worked hard and wanted to get a look at him. Obviously we thought Landry was playing well, we were going that way, but we like what we’ve seen from him. He was the next man in the rotation. Get in there and get the job done.” Dadiet didn’t get in Friday’s game until the fourth quarter with the outcome long decided.
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.
