INDIANAPOLIS — New coach Tom Thibodeau expects the New York Knicks to play tough and physical.
He also knows a veteran like Austin Rivers can help show his young team how it’s done.
Rivers made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:23 to play and added another clutch basket during the game-sealing run Saturday night to help the Knicks record a rare 106-102 victory over Indiana.
“I think the experience is huge and it gives us another guy who can put the ball on the floor,” Thibodeau said. “He can makes 3s, he can play defense and I think that’s the way the league is going right now. I thought he made big shots, big plays and he’s still working his way through the conditioning piece of it.”
Rivers missed New York’s first four games with a groin injury before returning to the lineup Thursday. Two nights later, he made an impact.
Less than two weeks after the Knicks lost to Indiana for the ninth time in 10 meetings, by a 14-point margin, Rivers helped them find a way to rebound.
No, he wasn’t the team’s top scorer. That honor belonged to RJ Barrett, who had 25 points. And, no, Rivers didn’t have a second straight double-double. That was Julius Randle, who had 13 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
But Rivers was effective inside and outside, and his teammates took the cue by following their coach’s calling card. New York outrebounded Indiana 51-32, with the Pacers grabbing just five offensive rebounds.
“That’s the difference in the game,” Indiana guard Malcolm Brogdon said. “Their ability to rebound the ball and be physical inside was huge.”
Brogdon led the Pacers with a career-high 33 points but his 3 was blocked by Mitchell Robinson with less than a minute to go, which led to Rivers’ breakaway basket during the decisive 11-0 run.
Neither team earned style points in a game played with typical post-holiday sluggishness.
But after trailing 51-50 at the break, the Knicks opened the second half on a 16-5 scoring flurry to retake the lead and extend it to 66-56. And after Justin Holiday tied the score at 82 with a buzzer-beating 3 at the end of the third quarter, Randle broke the tie with a 3 to start the fourth.
Then after Indiana charged back to take a 96-93 lead, Robinson started the closing run with a dunk. Rivers followed with the 3, and his breakaway basket sealed it.
“(Thibodeau) just tells me to go play because he knows I really don’t have any familiarity with the sets,” Rivers said. “The easiest thing to do sometimes is just go play.”
76ERS 127, HORNETS 112
PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Tobias Harris scored 24 points to lead Philadelphia over Charlotte.
Ben Simmons had 15 points, 12 rebound and 11 assists to help the Sixers beat the Hornets for the 12th straight time. Philadelphia has not lost to Charlotte since Nov. 2, 2016.
Terry Rozier scored 35 points for the Hornets.
The Sixers are rolling in Doc Rivers’ first season on the bench and followed a 24-point win over Orlando with another victory in which they led by double digits for most of the game.
PELICANS 120, RAPTORS 116
NEW ORLEANS — Eric Bledsoe capped a 19-point, 10-assist performance with a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, and New Orleans held on to beat Toronto.
Brandon Ingram added 31 points, capped by four free throws in the last 13 seconds to seal the victory. Zion Williamson scored 21 points.
The Pelicans limited the Raptors to just one point during the final 2:47 of regulation.
Fred VanVleet scored 27 points and Chris Boucher added 24 for Toronto, which has opened the season by losing four of its first five games.
THUNDER 108, MAGIC 99
ORLANDO, Fla. — Darius Bazley had a season-high 19 points, George Hill scored 13 of his 18 points in the third quarter and Oklahoma City beat Orlando for its second road victory of the season.
The Thunder ended a three-game losing streak and bounced back nicely from a 33-point loss to New Orleans two nights earlier.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds while outplaying Magic point guard Markelle Fultz, who made just five of 16 shots and finished with 12 points.
Orlando has dropped two straight after starting the season 4-0. Nikola Vucevic scored a season-best 30 points. Terrence Ross scored 26 points off the Orlando bench.
ROCKETS 102, KINGS 94
HOUSTON — John Wall scored 28 points and Houston beat Sacramento despite playing without an injured James Harden.
Harden sat out with a sprained right ankle. He was not listed on the injury report and coach Stephen Silas did not mention his injury in his pregame availability.
De’Aaron Fox had 23 points for the Kings, who lost to the Rockets for the second straight game. Christian Wood had 20 points and 16 rebounds and Eric Gordon added 21 points for Houston.
CAVALIERS 96, HAWKS 91
ATLANTA — Collin Sexton scored 27 points, Andre Drummond had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Cleveland wiped out a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and beat Atlanta.
JaVale McGee finished with 14 points for the Cavaliers.
Clint Capela had 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Hawks, who had 22 turnovers in the final three quarters.
