Josh Hart Has Big Night To Propel Jalen Brunson-less Knicks Past Pacers

The Knicks didn’t need Jalen Brunson. They had his podcast partner.

Josh Hart dropped 33 points — his most since joining the team three years ago — as the Brunson-less Knicks went on a scoring binge Tuesday to beat the Pacers 136-110 at the Garden.

Hart, who played just 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter because it was a blowout, was nearly perfect while hitting all five of his 3s and shooting 12-for-13 overall.

Hart fell 11 points shy of his career high of 44, set in 2022 with the Trail Blazers. His previous best with the Knicks was 31.

“I just like the fact he took the right shots,” coach Mike Brown said. “He didn’t hesitate. …

“Just tried to give him confidence, let it fly, let it fly. And live with the results.”

Tuesday’s resounding victory — a fourth straight win for the Knicks (45-25) — was their first game in over two months without Brunson, who sat with a neck strain. The All-Star watched in street clothes as the offense took off without him.

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Jose Alvarado, making his first start with the franchise because of Brunson’s absence, rose to the occasion with 16 points and 10 assists. He entered the evening on a nine-game skid without hitting a 3-pointer, missing all 11 of his attempts during that stretch.

Then Alvarado hit three treys before halftime against the Pacers, finishing 4-for-7 from deep.

“It was a weight off my shoulders,” Alvarado said. “I wasn’t really focused on [my shooting slump], but obviously it was in the back of my mind, something that’s not who I am. I just trust the work.”

The Knicks scored 72 points in the first half, including 19 from Hart and 18 from OG Anunoby.

The lone inefficient shooter was again Mikal Bridges, whose night started inauspiciously — he twisted his ankle while badly missing a layup — and who had just four points at the break on 2-for-7 shooting.

Bridges finished with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting.

It continued a slump for Bridges, whose confidence has looked shaken since the All-Star break.

But that didn’t matter Tuesday. The rest of the Knicks caught fire.

“It was special,” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 22 points to go with 11 rebounds. “It’s a game obviously we’re missing JB. We all understood the importance of picking up the slack, and I thought all of us in this locker room, particularly Josh, did a great job of playing team basketball. It was great for all of us — obviously one person’s not gonna replace Jalen, but we all can collectively come together and try to play better basketball for each other with his absence.”

The Pacers (15-54) long ago committed to tanking and own the worst record in the league. They lost Tyrese Haliburton for the season, and their second-best player, Pascal Siakam, was out Tuesday because of a knee problem.

Still, Indiana has played harder against the Knicks this season, which is probably related to a rivalry built on consecutive head-to-head playoff series.

On Tuesday, the Pacers led by six early but were quickly overwhelmed by New York’s hot shooting.

Especially Hart’s. The turning point was a 15-2 run to end the half.

The Knicks never looked back.