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The Knicks bounce back in Karl-Anthony Towns' MSG debut against the Pacers

The Knicks bounce back in Karl-Anthony Towns' MSG debut against the Pacers

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NEW YORK – The New York Knicks were obliterated by a barrage of three-pointers from the Boston Celtics in their season opener on Tuesday. More specifically, there were 29 that broke the NBA record.

That taste was still in the Knicks' mouths when they took the floor in their home opener on Friday night, and the club used it as fuel to defeat the Indiana Pacers 123-98 in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges' home debut at Madison Square Garden train .

“Anytime you get your butt kicked on national television in the NBA, that means you have to step up,” said winger Josh Hart, one of four New York starters who finished with 20 or more points. Bridges and Towns each had 21 points, while floor general Jalen Brunson finished with a game-high 26.

“I liked the way our guys responded. The fight we showed was much greater,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

The result was satisfying for the Knicks, who not only survived the embarrassing loss to Boston to open the season, but also sought revenge for last season's Game 7 loss to the Pacers (1-1) at the Garden in the Eastern conference semifinals .

The turnaround after the Knicks' season-opening loss was most clearly felt on defense. In Boston they struggled to defend the perimeter. On Friday, New York held the Pacers – the league's second-best offense last season – to a dismal 3 of 30 from the starting line.

The Knicks' wings in particular were aggressive against Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton, holding him scoreless on eight shot attempts.

“I was just bad, bro. It happens,” Haliburton said.

Bridges started the game defensively on Haliburton before giving the court to Hart and OG Anunoby, each having a handful of possessions. The Knicks (1-1) rallied several times in transition following Pacers turnovers and scored 29 points on Indiana's 14 errors during the contest.

The Garden crowd was lively from the start, cheering to support both Towns – a local product from suburban New Jersey – and Bridges in their first meaningful action on the home floor. The game was more or less over midway through the third period when New York took a 30-point lead. But the fans were still loud at this point; because of both the Knicks and the New York Yankees, who played in Game 1 of the World Series while the Knicks took care of business.

A massive “Let's Go Yankees!” chant erupted in the fourth quarter after Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead, and then the chant was repeated as Stanton's shot was shown on the arena's video screen. Towns was among the fans, waving his towel wildly as he watched the game.

“Oh, I definitely looked up (at the Jumbotron),” said Towns, a Yankees fan who was intently watching the game in the locker, which was scored by Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a walk-off grand. Slam ended room while he was doing his post-match interview.

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