INDIANAPOLIS _ The Knicks were intent on avoiding a slow start Sunday and in that goal, it was mission accomplished. Now to work on the finish.
The Knicks found themselves deadlocked with the Pacers, who entered the game with six straight wins, early in the fourth quarter. And then with a frustrating offensive display, the Knicks fell, 110-99, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Knicks committed seven turnovers and misfired on 15 of 24 shots in the fourth quarter, watching Indiana slowly pull away.
With 9:03 to play, the Knicks pulled even at 81 on a 3-pointer by Courtney Lee, but the Pacers then methodically pulled away. Domantas Sabonis tipped in a missed shot, then fed Thaddeus Young for a four-point lead. Former Knick Doug McDermott drained a three to stretch the deficit to 88-81.
The Knicks didn't score for a span of 3:12 until Tim Hardaway Jr. dropped in a short jumper. But Emmanuel Mudiay followed with a pair of free throws and it was a one-possession game again. Myles Turner swatted a shot by Enes Kanter in the lane and then chased down Mudiay, forcing him to miss a fast break dunk attempt.
After a Kevin Knox 3-pointer, the Knicks' struggles to score resumed with a block by Young and then a turnover by Kanter, leaving Indiana with a 95-88 lead with 2:57 remaining.
After falling behind by 21 and 22 points in the first two games of this road trip, this time the Knicks jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening minutes. But the reverse of early fortune didn't last and the Pacers led by as many as 10 in the second quarter.
"Show them the film of the good and the bad," Fizdale said of trying to change the slow starts. "And you get them on the court and just put them in situations where they continuously have to move the ball and share the game."
The Knicks turned to a zone defense to try to slow the Pacers, a strategy that worked well against Charlotte. But the Pacers seemed far more prepared to handle it and easily moved the ball to get to the rim repeatedly. In the first half, Sabonis, after shooting 12-for-12 at Madison Square Garden earlier this season, connected on all four of his attempts.
The Knicks were playing shorthanded again, even as they got Trey Burke and Lance Thomas back _ although Burke struggled through a 1-for-7 shooting night and Thomas never got into the game. Allonzo Trier (strained right hamstring) was out and will likely sit out Monday against Phoenix. Mitchell Robinson suffered a sprained left ankle Friday and had his foot in a protective boot. He will be examined by team doctors Monday. It is his third ankle injury since preseason.
"We're trying to figure it out," Fizdale said. "But it's just unfortunate he keeps coming down on guys feet. He jumps so dang high so when he lands the wrong way that ankle just rolls. Hopefully we can figure something out to start helping this kid so he doesn't have to keep dealing with this."
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