Knicks Overwhelm Pacers In 26-Point Blowout Win

The New York Knicks took care of business in their first game of what should be the easiest week of the season.

New York overwhelmed the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night, blowing them away by a 126-110 final at Madison Square Garden. They did so without Jalen Brunson, who was out with an ankle injury and neck soreness. Josh Hart stepped up big-time in Brunson's absence, putting up a game-high 33 points on a ridiculous 12-for-13 shooting (92.3%), including 5-for-5 from 3-point range.

Trade deadline addition Jose Alvarado made his first start for the Knicks in Brunson's place, and finished with 16 points and a team-best 10 assists. The Knicks had six players score in double-figures, including all five starters.

New York made a steady climb to its 26-point margin of victory over the course of the game, before putting Indiana away with a 31-19 fourth quarter. The Pacers starters went cold in the final frame, shooting 2-for-10 collectively, as they shot just 26.1% as a team to close things out.

Despite the win, the Knicks (45-25) are still one game back and two back in the loss column against the 2-seeded Boston Celtics (45-23) in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They should be able to win their next two games without Brunson, and get their star point guard right health-wise, with a potentially massive final matchup against Boston looming a few weeks away.

The Knicks will hit the road next, but won't have to go too far and should have an easy time racking up another win. They take on the Brooklyn Nets Friday night at Barclays Center, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m. EST.