Start center Mitchell Robinson is out after hand surgery, so it wasn’t ideal for the Knicks when Taj Gibson stumbled into the locker room during the first half Saturday night.
Nerlens Noel stayed in the game after Gibson’s departure, despite making three errors, and he recorded a season-high 41 minutes when the Knicks took a 110-107 victory over the Pacers at the Garden.
“We clearly needed it, needed the size, needed the rim protector,” said coach Tom Thibodeau. Next man. We have more than enough with the players we have. I know [the front office] will look at players who are available. That is their area. I’m just focused on the guys we have. We’ll find a way. “
At the end of the second quarter, Thibodeau beat Noel and took advantage of a small ball line-up with Julius Randle in the middle and Kevin Knox, who had recently sat on the bench, briefly back in the rotation. Rookie forward Obi Toppin also participated in such a line-up with Randle, but he only played for six minutes.
Start guard Elfrid Payton also missed a second game in a row with a tense right hamstring.
Payton stays day to day and “is making some progress,” Thibodeau added, but “not quite done yet”. He sat out 17 games last season and bridged October and December last season with a hamstring injury.
“Injuries are part of the game. It’s unfortunate. You have to trust your medical people, trust the player, ”Thibodeau said. ‘When he says he’s ready to go, he goes. I have a lot of faith in him, I trust him. You want to be smart. “
The Knicks went with the same line-up they used in Thursday’s win over the Kings, which meant Derrick Rose got the start. Thibodeau also stayed on the rotation with Frank Ntilikina after the former lottery pick made his first appearance against the kings since Dec. 29.
Rose finished with 17 points, 11 assists and four steals, including a combined defensive turnover on Indiana’s last possession. Ntilikina threw down two important free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining to finish with five runs in 11 minutes.