Reinforcements have finally arrived for the injury-plagued Knicks, but Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, two promising contributors acquired before Thursday’s trade deadline, weren’t the only ones.
All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson also returned to action after missing one game with an ankle sprain, but his game-high 39 points were not enough as the Knicks lost for the third time in four games, 125-111. I couldn’t say that. Pacers at the Garden on Saturday night.
Coach Tom Thibodeau’s team (33-20) shot 31.3 percent (10-of-32) from 3-point range, including a 2-of-9 miss by former standout Donte DiVincenzo. They were outrebounded by a 41-32 margin.
Myles Turner (23 points) and Pascal Siakam (19 points) took advantage of the absence of injured Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle inside to shoot 17-of-22, leading to a tie for All-Star point guards. Reece Haliburton had 22 points and 12 assists. Pacers (30 wins, 24 losses).
Burks scored 22 points in 22 minutes, while Bogdanovic was held to 11 points on 3-of-10 from the floor in 33 minutes, both off the bench. Taj Gibson was added to the Knicks’ starting frontcourt, with Precious Achiuwa also playing. No OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson.
