Obi Toppin received two thumbs down from Julius Randle and zero points as the Knicks briefly transitioned to a dunk contest in a 125-111 loss to the Pacers.
Toppin, a former Knicks and perennial high flyer, returned to the Garden for the second time on Saturday after the Knicks traded the forward this offseason, but his most memorable highlight was actually a lowlight. Ta.
Early in the second quarter, Toppin intercepted a pass from Alec Burks and made a breakaway all by himself. Knicks fans have seen that moment dozens of times — Toppin’s transition dunk that seizes momentum and sends the Garden into a frenzy — but this one actually made them laugh.
Toppin jumped up, went through his legs, and tried to slam down with a right hand, but couldn’t get enough air into his jump.
He bounced off the front of the rim and the ball bounced back to Burks.
The crowd roared, the Knicks bench erupted, and Toppin quickly put a wry smile on his face and shook off his brief embarrassment — even though his Knicks friends wouldn’t let him forget it.
The home bench loved the moment, and Randle grinned as he gave Toppin two thumbs downs.
Toppin is having a solid season as a role player, shooting a career-best 40.1 percent from deep in his first year with the Knicks, but scoring nine points on 3-of-5 shooting. He did (including making two shots at home from 3-point range), had two rebounds and one fast break, and he probably wants to come back. Toppin did not speak publicly after the game and immediately left the visiting locker room.
Toppin, the No. 8 overall pick in 2020, was sent to Indiana for a second-round pick this summer, but the Knicks remain literally family to him.
The Knicks signed Toppin’s younger brother, Jacob, as a two-way forward this offseason.
Jacob scored his first NBA points on Thursday, sat on the Knicks’ bench on Saturday and will represent the team in next week’s dunk contest.
Obi is a better jumper than anyone in the league and won the 2022 contest. For Jacob to make a good impression at this year’s competition, he will need to fly a little higher than his brother did on Saturday.
