It felt like a loss.
The Knicks didn’t seem like they had come to play from the opening tip, forcing a timeout from an irate Tom Thibodeau after quickly going down 8-0.
Taj Gibson, one of two healthy centers on the team, got hurt after 4 minutes, and it didn’t look like the 16-17 Knicks would be improving to .500 after 34 games for the first time since 2017.
The Pacers stretched their lead to 16 in the second quarter, and the Knicks looked dead in the water.
What followed was one of the most inspiring stretches of play this season.