Shorthanded Knicks Fall Short to Indy

Brunson, DiVincenzo and Achiuwa played every second of the final five minutes of a blowout loss... Thibs needs to keep the big picture in mind.

Final Score: Knicks 111 - Pacers 125
Record: 33-20

The Knicks got some reinforcements on Saturday and got another brilliant performance from their All-World point guard, but they couldn't get enough stops to slow down the Pacers high-octane offense.

While the offensive exploits and scoring outbursts from Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and, more recently, Donte DiVincenzo have garnered most of the headlines, a healthy chunk of the Knicks' surprising success has been the result of their dominant defense.

Before he was injured, Mitchell Robinson was making a case for First Team All-Defense. Then, when Mitch Rob went down, Isaiah Hartenstein stepped in and stepped up, patrolling the paint and protecting the rim.

However, iHart is now sidelined by a nagging Achilles injury, and it appears the Knicks have finally run out of elite defensive anchors. And considering how crucial centers are in Tom Thibodeau's defensive schemes, the lack of a reliable big man in the middle has left the Knicks exposed.