Preview: Knicks at Pacers

[December 04, 2017]  Gracenote

Victor Oladipo looks to follow up his best scoring night of the season and break his team out of a mini-slump when the Indiana Pacers host the injury-depleted New York Knicks on Monday. Oladipo scored 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting while adding seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks in Friday's 120-115 setback at Toronto - the Pacers' third loss in four contests.

"I was just trying to do whatever it takes to keep us going, to keep us in the game," Oladipo, who is averaging 23.4 points in his first season with Indiana, told reporters after the defeat. "It was a tough loss. We have to learn from it." The Pacers must be better inside after giving up 70 points in the paint Friday, but Indiana won't have to face New York's top two scorers. Kristaps Porzingis (25.8), who recorded 40 points in a 108-101 win over the Pacers on Nov. 5, missed Sunday's loss to Orlando with an ankle injury while Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.8) sat out with a left leg ailment and the Knicks told reporters both won't make the trip to Indiana. New York has dropped four of its last five contests overall and four straight on the road.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FSN Indiana

ABOUT THE KNICKS (11-11): Forward Michael Beasley scored 21 in the 105-100 loss to the Magic on Sunday - his second-highest total of the season - and Enes Kanter registered 18 points and 16 rebounds for his second straight double-double after missing the previous three games with injury. Courtney Lee added 19 points in the loss and is averaging 18.6 in his last five games while Lance Thomas came off the bench to score a season-high 11. The good news Sunday was rookie Frank Ntilikina returning to the lineup after missing just one game with an ankle injury and contributing nine points in 16 minutes.

 

ABOUT THE PACERS (12-11): Center Myles Turner has been bothered by a sore knee, but is still averaging 17.3 points over the last four games and is expected to be in the lineup against the Knicks. "I've got two days to recover, it's a bruise, swelling wasn't an issue," Turner told the Indianapolis Star on Friday. "I pretty much knew I was going to play. It's going to take way more than that to keep me out." Bojan Bogdanovic (14.8 points) hopes to recover from a 2-for-11 shooting performance against Toronto and Domantas Sabonis (12.5 points, 8.7 rebounds) was 4-for-14 in the last two.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. New York's rookie SG Damyean Dotson made his first start Sunday in Hardaway's spot and scored two points in 22 minutes.

2. The Knicks have won the last three meetings, including a 109-103 win at Indiana last January.

3. Pacers PF Thaddeus Young is averaging 17.5 points on 17-of-28 from the field in his last two contests.

PREDICTION: Pacers 112, Knicks 100

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