NEW YORK — For the first time in more than a month the Knicks took the court Wednesday night at full strength, all of the roster pieces back in place as they hosted the Indiana Pacers to start the second half of the season in a battle for playoff positioning.
That meant that RJ Barrett was back in the starting lineup. But whatever the configuration of the lineup, what the Knicks learned in the first half of the season is that when the pressure is on late, it is Jalen Brunson who holds the key to whatever the team hopes to achieve the rest of the way.
Barrett and Brunson got the Knicks started and helped build a 25-point lead. And when the lead was almost completely wiped out by a shorthanded Pacers squad, it was Brunson who delivered key baskets to save the Knicks from collapse as they escaped with a 119-113 win at Madison Square Garden.
