Pacers at Knicks
The Indiana Pacers were in a deep slump to start the month but went into the break feeling good about themselves after knocking off the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks and will try to carry that momentum into the final 27 games of the regular season. The Pacers will try to make it back-to-back wins when they visit the New York Knicks for the opener of a two-game trip.
Indiana, which will play seven of its next nine on the road, dropped six in a row before topping Milwaukee 118-111 on Feb. 12 and saw encouraging signs in the win from several players. The Pacers have been trying to get on the same page since former All-Star Victor Oladipo returned from surgery to repair a ruptured quad tendon on Jan. 29 and Oladipo turned in his most efficient performance with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting while point guard Malcolm Brogdon handed out 13 assists. The Knicks were riding a four-game winning streak before dropping two straight heading into the break and are still dealing with some fallout after team branding consultant Steve Stoute suggesting in an interview that the coaching staff was on the way out - a statement that was quickly disavowed by the team. New York is playing for the future and is trying to balance going for wins against giving young players bigger minutes.
TIME: 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS Indiana, MSG
ABOUT THE PACERS (32-23): Indiana can go to several different weapons with Oladipo back in the attack and it was T.J. Warren taking the lead with 35 points on 16-of-19 shooting against the Bucks. "It's good to have a guy who can make a basket when you need it," Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters. "To have the options we have out there, we're just taking advantage of matchups. Now with this group together, we can go a number of different places, whether it's Malcolm or Victor or (Domantas Sabonis) or Warren." Sabonis represented the team during the All-Star Game on Sunday and managed two points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench for the winning Team LeBron.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (17-38): New York interim coach Mike Miller insists that development can happen without big increases in minutes. "As we approach this, this is all about development," Miller told reporters after a 114-96 home loss to the Washington Wizards last Wednesday. "That will never change. It's about how these guys get better just if they get 10 more minutes in a game. There are a lot of things that go into the development to make these guys better. Just having minutes isn't the end-all. I think there are other ways and other factors." Rookie guard RJ Barrett is averaging nine points in 22.8 minutes over four games this month but got a chance to show off in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday and scored 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Knicks SF Kevin Knox scored in single digits in 13 of his last 14 games.
2. Oladipo is averaging 11.1 points on 32.9 percent shooting in seven games.
3. Indiana earned a 104-103 win at New York on Dec. 7 but had a seven-game winning streak in the series snapped in a 92-85 home loss on Feb. 1.