Twice in the previous 10 days, the Knicks missed opportunities to push their record to the 0.500 mark in unpleasant losses for Magic and Warriors.
They seemed headed for another missed chance to match their record and climb the crowded Eastern Conference on Saturday night. Tom Thibodeau’s squad recovered from a 16-point disadvantage in the first half, however, and drew fourth place in the playoff standings with a 110-107 victory over the Pacers in the Garden.
“We didn’t start the game well, it was incredible and we had to work to overcome it,” said Thibodeau. “It’s a long game, but the most important thing was to find a way to win in the end.
“We had a lot of guys who showed up and made great plays. … We just crossed out. “
RJ Barrett hit two free throws with 14.6 seconds left, but Derrick Rose’s theft and Frank Ntilikina’s two free throws with 2.9 seconds left sealed the Knicks’ six victory in eight games, which improved to 17 -17. They started last season 17-42 and ended with 21 wins in 66 games.
The great man Taj Gibson suffered a sprain in his left ankle in the first quarter and did not return. The starting center, Mitchell Robinson, has since been removed after hand surgery.
Rose started in place of Elfrid Payton (hamstring) for a second straight game and scored 17 points with 11 assists and five steals for the Knicks, who will visit the worst Pistons of the conference (9-24) on Sunday night.
Star striker Julius Randle also completed the stats sheet again with 28 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, including two major free throws in the final minute. Barrett scored 24 and Immanuel Quickley finished 10 in 13 minutes – including his second four-point play in so many games in the fourth quarter – when the Knicks won the Indiana 2-1 series.
Myles Turner of 3 points put the Pacers in 94-91 with 6:37 remaining, and his drive extended the lead to five with just four minutes left. But Barrett hit his fourth 3-point basket of the night and then converted a traditional three-point play to regain the Knicks lead at 3:32.
Randle also scored from long distance and Barrett added insider information for a 104-98 game with 2:22 left. The Pacers recovered with the next five points, but Nerlens Noel hit two free throws after an eight-point steal in 41 minutes, the best of the season.
Randle’s other All-Star striker, Domantas Sabonis, took 15 points for the Pacers, who played without point guard Malcolm Brogdon (knee) for the first time this season. Former Knicks Doug McDermott (20 points) and Justin Holiday (13) combined to 33 for Indiana (15-17).
To start the day, the teams in fourth and 10th in the East were separated by a game, but the Knicks drew with the idle Raptors.
“It’s a long season and that’s what we have to understand,” said Thibodeau. “Every game is equally important. One game has no more meaning than another. They all count in the same way. Wherever you go, this can be the difference between many things. “
The Knicks missed their first five shots and saw Indiana an 8-0 lead, with Holiday hitting a pair of 3 starting points to make Thibodeau request a quick timeout of just two minutes of play.
The Knicks, who scored 77 points at halftime and 140 overall in Thursday’s victory over Kings, lost about 16 at halftime. But his defense marked a final 24-6 run, culminating in Rose’s three immediate hits at the buzzer to a 54-52 lead at halftime.
The outbreak also featured the second 3 points of the Quickley range, two Randle dunks and two more marks from the center of Barrett.
Barrett’s dunk four minutes from the end of the third, a free throw from Rose after a technical foul attributed to Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren and Randle’s seven straight points helped the Knicks to take an 81-78 lead in the final quarter.