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The Indiana Pacers turned a rocky defensive performance in the first half into a dominant showing in the second half, outscoring the New York Knicks 60-41 after the break to start the 2020-21 season at 1-0.
Domantas Sabonis led the way offensively with 32 points and 13 rebounds, doing the bulk of his damage in the first quarter, but scorching three point shooting from New York allowed them to stay in the game and eventually take a 66-61 lead into the locker room. Victor Oladipo took on the scoring load to start the third and Myles Turner finished it on the defensive end, helping the Pacers to a convincing 27-16 third quarter win, putting them on the top for good down the stretch.
Oladipo finished with 22 points scoring the first 11 of the second half for the Pacers. Turner meanwhile had eight blocks, nearing a triple double with 10 points and eight rebounds. He wasn’t the only Pacer to inch towards one; Malcolm Brogdon had 21 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds himself.
The Pacers will return to action on Saturday to face the Chicago Bulls on the road.