The Knicks bounce back in Karl-Anthony Towns' MSG debut against the Pacers

NEW YORK – The New York Knicks were obliterated by a barrage of three-pointers from the Boston Celtics in their season opener on Tuesday. An NBA record 29, to be exact.

That taste was still in the Knicks' mouths when they took the floor in their home opener on Friday night, and the club used it as fuel to defeat the Indiana Pacers 123-98 in Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges' home debut at Madison Square Garden train .

“Anytime you get your butt kicked on national television in the NBA, that means you have to step up,” said winger Josh Hart, one of four New York starters who scored 20 or more points against Indiana. Bridges and Towns each had 21 points, while floor general Jalen Brunson finished with a game-high 26.

“I liked the way our guys responded,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “The fight we showed was much bigger.”

The result was satisfying for the Knicks, who not only survived the embarrassing loss to Boston but also sought revenge for their Game 7 loss to the Pacers (1-1) at the Garden in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.

The turnaround after the Knicks' season-opening loss was most clearly felt on defense. In Boston, the Knicks struggled to defend the perimeter. On Friday, New York held the Pacers – the league's second-best offense last season – to 3 of 30 points from distance.

The Knicks' wings in particular were aggressive against Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton, holding him scoreless on eight shots.

“I was just bad, bro. It happens,” Haliburton said.

Bridges started the game defensively on Haliburton before giving the court to Hart and OG Anunoby, each having a handful of possessions. The Knicks (1-1) rallied several times in transition following Pacers turnovers and scored 29 points on Indiana's 14 errors during the contest.

The Garden crowd was lively from the start, cheering to support Towns – a local product from suburban New Jersey – and Bridges in their first meaningful action on the home floor. The game was more or less over midway through the third period when New York had a 30-point lead. But fans were still restless at this point, not just about the Knicks but also about the New York Yankees, who were playing in Game 1 of the World Series.

A massive “Let's Go Yankees!” chant erupted in the fourth quarter after Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run home run to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead, and then the chant was repeated as Stanton's shot was shown on the arena's video screen. Towns was among the fans, waving his towel wildly as he watched the game.

“Oh, I definitely looked up (at the jumbotron),” said Towns, a Yankees fan who watched the game – which ended with a walk-off grand slam by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman – watched closely in the locker room as he conducted his post-game interview.