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Struggling Knicks face Pacers on Monday
By: Staff Writer - StatFox
Published: 1/22/2017  at  5:21:00 PM
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NEW YORK KNICKS (19-26)

at INDIANA PACERS (22-21)

Tip-off: Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

The Knicks will be looking to prevent a three-game losing streak with a win over the Pacers on Monday.

New York just might coming off of its most embarrassing loss of the season, as the team lost 107-105 as a 4.5-point home favorite against Phoenix. The Knicks desperately needed a victory, so losing at home against a team with the league’s third-worst record is absolutely unacceptable. Changes might be coming for this New York team, but the focus is on turning things around quickly. For all of the negativity surrounding the team right now, the Knicks are still just three games back from a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers, meanwhile, would be the seventh seed if the season ended today. They have, however lost two straight coming into this one, and they will be hungry for a victory on Monday. Indiana will also be out for revenge, as New York won 118-111 when these teams met on Dec. 20. Fortunately for the Pacers, that was their only loss to the Knicks over the past three seasons. They had won the previous eight meetings with New York, and that includes five straight wins (4-1 ATS) when playing in Indiana. One trend that sticks out when looking at this game is the fact that the Knicks are 11-3 ATS after a game where they made 85% of their free throws or better on the season.

The Knicks might be struggling right now, but PF Carmelo Anthony (22.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.1 APG) has gotten himself going lately. Over the past two games, Anthony averaged 32.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 4.0 APG in 38.0 MPG. He has shot the ball very well, going 22-for-44 from the field and 8-for-13 from the outside. Anthony has also played well against the Pacers this season, averaging 26.0 PPG in two meetings with the team. Look for him to be aggressive early in this one, as he knows the importance of the Knicks getting back in the win column. With his jumper working the way it has been, he should be nearly impossible to guard. PG Derrick Rose (18.1 PPG, 4.5 APG, 4.0 RPG) has also picked it up as a scorer recently. Over the past three games, Rose has scored 25.3 PPG. He’ll need to continue to attack the basket moving forward, as the Knicks lack scoring punch outside of their top three players. That third guy is C Kristaps Porzingis (19.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.9 BPG), who desperately needs to find his stroke from the outside. He is a 39.0% three-point shooter on the season, but he is 0-for-6 since coming back from a calf injury two games ago. Perhaps a meeting with the Pacers is just what he needs, though. When he faced Indiana on Dec. 20, Porzingis went 4-for-7 from three. That type of performance would likely result in the Knicks earning a big road win.

The Pacers have not played their best basketball recently, but PG Jeff Teague (15.7 PPG, 8.0 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG) is doing an excellent job of running the Indiana offense. Over the past five games, Teague is averaging 16.4 PPG, 8.8 APG, 5.0 RPG and 1.2 SPG. If he can hit the double-digit mark in assists then the Pacers should be okay in this one. It is, however, important that SF Paul George (21.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.7 SPG) shows up on Monday. George has shot only 39.4% from the field in two meetings with the Knicks this season, and he’ll need to be a lot more efficient than that in this one. One thing George does have working right now is his outside shot. Over the past five games, George is shooting 41.4% from three. It’d be big if he can knock down a couple on Monday. One last guy that will need to play well is C Myles Turner (15.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.3 BPG). Turner has emerged as one of the best young, two-way players in the game, as he is a very good shooter from all over the floor and is also one of the better rim protectors in basketball. He is averaging 17.0 PPG and 9.5 RPG and two games against the Knicks this season, and he could be in for another solid performance on Monday. He just needs to do his best to slow down Kristaps Porzingis.


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