The New York Knicks will travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. The opening pour is scheduled for 7 PM EST.
The Knicks are virtually assured of the Eastern Conference’s fifth seed, while the Pacers’ dismal second half has eliminated them from playoff contention and sent them to the NBA Draft Lottery this spring.
Latest news on Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton and Julius Randle
The Indiana Pacers have been terrible in the second half of the season. With only three games left, they are just playing out the string. As of Wednesday night, the Pacers had lost five of their last six games, bringing their record to just 34-45.
The Pacers’ All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton missed his fifth game in a row, and their starting center Myles Turner missed his fifth game in a row. This shows that the Pacers are starting to think about next season.
Haliburton will still not be able to play against the Knicks on Wednesday because of his ankle injury.
Haliburton is expected to miss his fifth straight game and his 11th in the last 13 games for Indiana. Since Chris Duarte is also out with an ankle injury, Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin should continue to play more in the backcourt for the Pacers.
Haliburton’s next chance to play will be Friday against the Pistons, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he didn’t show up for either of the team’s last two games after Wednesday’s.
This week, the New York Knicks will try to finish the regular season and get ready for what looks like it will be a first-round Eastern Conference playoff matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks have been playing well lately. They have won four straight games, making their record 46-33. The Knicks officially made the playoffs on Sunday night when they beat the hurt Washington Wizards 118-109.
Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes each scored 27 points for the Knicks, who played their second straight game without their star forward Julius Randle.
Brunson has been doing well as of late. On Friday, he scored 48 points. On Sunday, he scored 27 points and tied for the team lead.
Because RJ Barrett was sick and Julius Randle hurt his ankle, the Knicks didn’t have either of them, so Brunson was the clear leader of the offense.
Randle sprained his ankle, so he won’t be able to play for two weeks. He could come back for the playoffs.
In his absence, Obi Toppin, Jericho Sims, and Isaiah Hartenstein could be given a bigger role.
Randle will finish the regular season with an average of 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 35.5 minutes of playing time per game over 77 games.
Injury Report Knicks
- R.J. Barrett (Illness) – Questionable
- DaQuan Jeffries (Calf) – Out
- Duane Washington Jr. (Hip) – Out
- Julius Randle (Ankle) – Out
Injury Report Pacers
- Myles Turner (Back) – Questionable
- Chris Duarte (Ankle) – Out
- Tyrese Haliburton (Ankle) – Out
- Kendall Brown (Lower Leg) – Out for the season
