While every Indiana Pacers win is nice, one over the New York Knicks is like checking that column twice, making a 1-0 start to the 2020-21 regular season that much more festive and full of cheer. Though there are clearly areas in which the Pacers can improve, there was little across the full 48 minutes that was flat out alarming.
The first half defense and three point shooting, two of the most egregious downsides, were either cleaned up in the former’s case or can hopefully be more of an anomaly for the latter. The Pacers both allowed 66 first half points and shot under 25% all night from deep, but still managed to piece together a dominant second half to finally put their stamp on a game they had a tough time getting a grasp on.