INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are red hot as of late winning six consecutive games coming into Sunday evenings game against the New York Knicks. After defeating the Philadelphia 76ers Friday, the Pacers moved into sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference standings and putting the rest of the league on notice. In a game that could be seen as a trap the Pacers took care of business beating the Knicks 111-99 to win their seventh consecutive game.
The first quarter was a tightly contested one with the Pacers and Knicks trading baskets back and forth with neither team being able to impose their will on the other. Domantas Sabonis who was perfect from the field his last game against the Knicks in a 30-point outburst got out to a 4 for 4 9-point first quarter.
Fellow big man Myles Turner had 9 points of his own in the first half adding 5 rebounds to his total. The Pacers big men had a tough first half against Enes Kanter who reeled in 3 offensive rebounds before finishing with 7 total. Going into the half with only a 3-point lead the Pacers knew they had to make a run.
“I thought in the first half we were fouling,” said McMillan. “ They were pretty much getting a lot of what they wanted, then when they did miss, they were rebounding the ball. Kanter had a really good first half against us scoring off the offensive glass.”
In the beginning of the second half the two teams continued to trade shots and the game was tightly contested through the third quarters. Victor Oladipo began to emerge in the fourth and showed that he was fully healthy and ready to take over. Scoring a game high 26 points with 5 steals, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists to fill his stat sheet, Oladipo was a catalyst in the Pacer victory.
“It was winning time,” said Oladipo. “No matter what goes on in the first three quarters, in the fourth it’s time to win. That’s our mentality going into the fourth. Every possession matters.”
In the fourth the Knicks opened on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 81 but the Pacers quickly responded with a 7-0 run of their own. The aforementioned Pacer run turned into a 19-9 run that all but cemented the game. The win improved the Pacers 20-10 for the season and 11-4 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The win also put them into a virtual tie with the Milwaukee Bucks for second in the East.
In the seven straight victories, defense and focus has been an anchor for the team something Domantas Sabonis is well aware of.
“We just have to stay focused and continue the hard effort on defense,” said Sabonis. “Win streaks don’t sustain unless you’re able to do that.
The Pacers next game will be Tuesday at home in a Eastern Conference Central division matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers in an attempt to take sole possession of second in the East.