The Pacers start the fresh new year battling a familiar foe, the New York Knicks. The Blue & Gold opened the 2020-21 NBA season with a 121-107 win on Dec. 23.
The New York Knicks (2-3) take on the Indiana Pacers (4-1) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Game Time: 7:00PM EST/4:00PM PST on Saturday, January 2nd
TV: FS-IN
Betting Odds: NBA Odds
Live Stream: Watch the game online with fuboTV (free trial). Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. Local viewers watch the live stream on Fox Sports Go. Non-local viewers watch the live stream on NBA League Pass. You can also follow the game live on the ClutchPoints app. Reddit Thread.
Knicks Active Roster: Ignas Brazdeikis, Nerlens Noel, Kevin Knox II, Julius Randle, Austin Rivers, Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Elfrid Payton, Alec Burks, Dennis Smith Jr., Omari Spellman, Mitchell Robinson, Theo Pinson, Jared Harper, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin
Pacers Active Roster: Justin Holiday, Goga Bitadze, Domantas Sabonis, T.J. Warren, Myles Turner, Doug McDermott, JaKarr Sampson, Cassius Stanley, Aaron Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Brian Bowen II, Edmond Sumner, Victor Oladipo, Jalen Lecque, T.J. McConnell, Kelan Martin, Malcolm Brogdon
It almost surely won't take long for the New York Knicks to check off the first item on their list of New Year's resolutions.
The Knicks will look to bounce back Saturday night from a historically rough shooting performance when they visit the Indiana Pacers in the second game of the season between the Eastern Conference rivals.
Both teams last played on New Year's Eve, when the Knicks had their two-game winning streak snapped with a 100-83 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Tampa, Fla., and the Pacers beat the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 119-99, in a matinee.
While the Knicks played reasonably well on defense in limiting the Raptors to 41 percent shooting, New York did itself no favors by shooting a franchise record-low 8.3 percent (3-of-36) from 3-point land. The starting lineup was 0-for-23 from beyond the arc, marking the most misses by a starting lineup without a made 3-pointer in NBA history.
"We were in the game, but obviously going 3-for-36 from the 3-point line doesn't help," Knicks forward Julius Randle said. "I think it'll be very rare for us to go 3-for-36 from the 3-point line. So we'll be fine."
The disastrous night from beyond the arc was especially surprising for the Knicks, who entered the game draining 45.8 percent (50-for-109) of their 3-pointers.
"I thought we got high-quality shots again tonight," Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I want to look at the film before I comment further on that. But yeah, that's part of the NBA game."
The Pacers were far more prolific from beyond the arc in their final game of 2020. Victor Oladipo hit a team-high four 3-pointers as Indiana shot a season-high 45.7 percent from 3-point land (16-of-35), its highest percentage since it shot 48.4 percent (15-of-31) against the San Antonio Spurs on March 2, 2020.
The strong performance from 3-point land highlighted a well-rounded offensive performance Thursday by the Pacers. Led by Domantas Sabonis, who earned Eastern Conference player of the week honors for the first week of the truncated 2020-21 campaign, six players scored in double digits for Indiana.
Sabonis produced his fifth double-double in as many games Thursday and actually flirted with a triple-double in finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
"Even though 2020 has been tough, find your triumph," Oladipo said. "At the end of the day, we're all blessed to see 2021."
Both teams enter January at less than 100 percent. The Pacers announced Thursday that forward T.J. Warren (left foot stress fracture) will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery. The Knicks had four guards sidelined Thursday -- Alec Burks (left ankle), Frank Ntilikina (right knee), Immanuel Quickley (left hip) and Dennis Smith Jr. (left quad).
The trip to Indiana is the second this season for the Knicks, who fell to the Pacers, 121-107, in the opener for both clubs on Dec. 23.