Game Preview: Pacers at Knicks (Preseason)

Friday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 PM ET at Madison Square Garden

Game Preview

The Pacers and Knicks meet on Friday night at Madison Square Garden for the first of two preseason tilts between the longtime rivals. New York will visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday.

Both teams are coming off convincing victories in their preseason openers. The Knicks rolled to a 117-96 win over Detroit on Tuesday, while Indiana cruised to a 122-97 victory at Charlotte on Wednesday.

The Pacers have focused heavily on defense over the first week of training camp and they were very good on that end of the floor against the Hornets. Indiana limited Charlotte to 34.4 percent shooting and created 18 turnovers in the win.

Offensively, the Pacers also showed good signs. The Blue & Gold put up 122 points despite going just 6-for-30 from 3-point range, successfully pushing the paint and getting to the rim. Indiana scored 72 points in the paint and another 26 at the free throw line against Charlotte.

Perhaps the most encouraging performance on Wednesday came from third-year wing Aaron Nesmith. The 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Nesmith struggled to find consistent minutes playing behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston, but he should have a much greater opportunity in Indiana. Nesmith scored a team-high 16 points in 14 minutes on Wednesday and the Pacers were +30 with him on the court.

"Aaron Nesmith has had a great training camp," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's carried it over to this game. He's playing to his strengths -- that's the key thing. He's not trying to do things he can't do. And defensively, he had a big impact on the game."

Projected Starters

Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Chris Duarte, F - Buddy Hield, F - Jalen Smith, C - Myles Turner

Knicks: G - Jalen Brunson, G - Evan Fournier, F - RJ Barrett, F - Julius Randle, C - Mitchell Robinson

Injury Report

Pacers: None

Knicks: TBA

Last Meeting

Jan. 4, 2022: Keifer Sykes scored a career-high 22 points, but the undermanned Pacers fell to the Knicks in New York, 104-94. Indiana was without players due to the NBA's health and safety protocols, as well as T.J. McConnell, who missed the game with a wrist injury.

Sykes finished with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting (4-of-8 from 3-point range) and six assists. Rookie guard Duane Washington finished with 17 points, while Domantas Sabonis added 15 points, eight rebounds, and four assists for the Blue & Gold.

Knicks guard RJ Barrett led all scorers with 32 points. Julius Randle added 30 points and 16 rebounds to help lead New York to victory.

Noteworthy

• The Pacers and Knicks split four games last season.
• Langston Galloway, a member of the Pacers' training camp roster, made his NBA debut with the Knicks and played two seasons in New York from 2014-16.
• Indiana will face New York three times in the 2022-23 regular season, hosting New York at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 18 and April 5 and visiting Madison Square Garden on Jan. 11.

Tickets

Single game tickets for the 2022-23 season are now on sale. Secure your seats today to see the Pacers on the court this season. Find Tickets >>

Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)

TV: MSG/NBA League Pass

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)