Sabonis, Oladipo lift Pacers over Knicks
Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis (11) celebrates with his teammates after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Pacers won 107-101. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
NEW YORK — Domantas Sabonis matched his career high with 30 points, Victor Oladipo scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 107-101 on Wednesday night.
Indiana trailed 97-94 with 3:08 left before Oladipo got hot. Sabonis hit two free throws, and then Oladipo picked off Tim Hardaway Jr.’s lazy dribble and threw down a breakaway dunk for a 98-97 lead. Indiana scored the next five points, capped by Oladipo’s 3-pointer with 1:23 left, to make it 103-97.
Hardaway led the Knicks with 37 points, and Noah Vonleh had 14 points and 10 rebounds. New York has lost six of seven since winning on opening night.
Alonzo Trier’s basket cut New York’s deficit to 103-101 with 44 seconds left, but Thaddeus Young found Oladipo open in front of the Knicks bench for a 3-pointer.
Young had 13 point, 10 rebounds and five steals.
BACK IN
New York native and former Knicks player Kyle O’Quinn got a nice hand from the Madison Square Garden crowd when he entered late in the second quarter. O’Quinn signed a one-year deal with Indiana after opting out of the final year of his contract in New York.
His decision landed him $4.5 million, a $200,000 raise.
“You talk to your agent, you talk to your family, but you have to make it,” O’Quinn said before the nationally televised game. “It’s the biggest decision I’ve ever made as far as making a choice in my career. I slept on it, prayed on it. It’s no secret I would’ve loved to play for (new Knicks coach David) Fizdale or be here.”
UP NEXT
Pacers: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Knicks: Visit the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.
