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The 4-1 Indiana Pacers are one of the hottest teams on the Eastern Conference at the start of the 2020-21 NBA season. Indiana is tied for the best record in the league and it's +9.8 point differential is third in the East. On the other hand, the New York Knicks have had some good games and an impressive win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The two teams will meet at Indiana for the second time, as they faced in the season-opener with the Pacers winning at Indy. In this article, we will give you a combined starting five from both teams.
New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers: Combined starting 5
Indiana beat New York in the season-opening game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse 121-107 with Domantas Sabonis putting up 32 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists in the game.
Indiana started the year with three straight wins before losing at home to the Boston Celtics. Then, they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in their most recent match. Recently, Indiana suffered a big hit with T.J. Warren listed as out indefinitely after undergoing foot surgery.
The New York Knicks started the year with two consecutive losses to Indiana and the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, they had a noisy win over the Milwaukee Bucks and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers too. In their most recent game, the Knicks lost to the Toronto Raptors.
Indiana has been guided by All-Stars Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo. New York's Julius Randle has been his team's driving force on offense at the start of the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
On that note, let us make a combined starting five from the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.
Point Guard - Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana Pacers)
The 2016-17 NBA Rookie of the Year, Malcolm Brogdon, has improved his numbers in each year of his career and the 2020-21 NBA season is not an exception.
Brogdon is averaging a career-high 20 points per game on 50/36/86 shooting splits in the first five games of the campaign. He had a solid season-opening game against the New York Knicks, when he scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out eight assists.
Along with his 20 PPG average, Brogdon is averaging six assists per game for the Indiana Pacers.
Shooting Guard - Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
Victor Oladipo has been the best player on the Indiana Pacers in recent years when he was fully healthy. Right now, Domantas Sabonis seems to be the main player on the team, but Oladipo remains an outstanding shooting guard.
The two-time All-Star is averaging 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game in the current season. He has played four of Indiana's five games so far and put up 22/4/4 against the New York Knicks on Opening Night.
Oladipo shot the ball fantastically in his first four games, as his shooting splits are 55/54/88.
Small Forward - Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers)
Domantas Sabonis is surely playing at the highest level from any player of these two teams to start the 2020-21 NBA season. Coming off his first All-Star selection last season, Sabonis' game has taken a clear step ahead on the current campaign.
Sabonis averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists per game last year and it was his best year in the NBA. Currently, he is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists per night.
Also, Sabonis has made 58 percent of his field goals and 54 percent of his three-pointers so far.
Against the New York Knicks on the Pacers' Opening Night, he put up 32 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists.
Power Forward - Julius Randle (New York Knicks)
The first player from the New York Knicks to appear on this list, Julis Randle has clearly been the best player for the Madison Square Garden outfit.
Randle has been great overall. He is averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists per game in the first five games of the year. Also, he has made 53 percent of his field goals and 53 percent of his three-pointers (3.4 attempts per game).
He is leading the New York Knicks in minutes, field goals made, points, rebounds, and assists.
Against the Indiana Pacers in the first match of the regular season, Randle put up 17 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists on 35 minutes played. Despite filling the stat sheet, Randle's effort was not enough to help the Knicks beat Indiana.
Center - Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
Myles Turner is a key part of the Indiana Pacers' defensive system. At 6 feet, 11 inches, Turner is a solid rim protector and a tremendous shot-blocker (4.2 per game so far).
In over 29 minutes played per game, Turner has also scored 12 points per game and grabbed seven rebounds per night. Turner's defensive abilities have been fully displayed in this campaign, as he also averages two steals per game through the first five games of the 2020-21 NBA season.
Against the Knicks in the season-opener, Turner scored 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and tied his career-high with eight blocks.
Guess the Lakers players!
