Knicks defeat the Pacers 87-81 winning the season series but lose Porzingis

The Knicks trailed by 13 points early in the third quarter but ignited by Derrick Rose, they managed to overcome the Pacers and win 87-81, fueled by Carmelo Anthony who scored 15 of his total 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Rose added 16 points but the victory was shadowed by the injury of Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian unicorn collided with Monta Ellis while trying to catch a pass early in the fourth quarter and left the court.

He was diagnosed with left thigh contusion and never returned to action. Porzingis finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks and feels optimistic about his health.

“Shouldn’t be serious. Nothing too long.”

Willy Hernangomez replaced him and dropped 13 points while grabbing 16 rebounds.

The Knicks, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 2013 when they were knocked out by the same Pacers, win the season series 3-1 but they haven’t connected two wins in a row since late December.

They will have the chance of doing that on Thursday when they will host the Nets, the same team that embarrassed them a couple of nights ago. Had the Knicks won that, they would be now eyeing a 3 games winning streak.

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Long time Knicks broadcaster, John Andariese, passed away this Monday after battling with dementia. Andariese, 78, was a Knicks broadcaster for 35 years, both on TV for the MSG Network where he formed one of the most appreciated duos alongside Marv Albert, and on radio.

Also known as Johnny Hoops, he retired in 2012 and in 2014 he was inducted into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The first words about his condition were mentioned by Mike Breen during the Knicks-Warriors game when he wished his former colleague well.