The Indiana Pacers will play their second consecutive game on the road. Moreover, the Pacers will take on the New York Knicks at the iconic Madison Square Garden tonight. The Knickerbockers will be out for blood, considering the Pacers knocked them out of the Playoffs last season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, the newcomers, will play at the MSG for the first time in the Knicks uniform.

Fans hoping the Pacers would make a bold opening statement about their potential to reach the Eastern Conference finals again—and possibly challenge defending champions Boston—were likely let down by the narrow victory over a team that only managed 14 wins last season. If anyone still doesn’t know, that team is the Detroit Pistons. However, with this just being the first of 82 games, the Pacers’ resilience in Game 1 still offers something noteworthy.

Many anticipated a major improvement from the Pistons this season, thanks to the development of their young lottery picks, the arrival of seasoned players like Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley, along with new head coach J. B. Bickerstaff.

In their season opener at TD Garden, the New York Knicks faced major defensive challenges after losing to the Boston Celtics. “Every game reveals things to you. Sometimes you do things well, sometimes not as well as you need to. But understand why you lost or won and take the necessary steps to move forward,” said coach Tom Thibodeau to Posting and Toasting.

The Knicks’ defense left room for improvement despite the Celtics’ strong shooting, and coach Tom Thibodeau aims to quickly move forward from this forgetful performance. But most teams won’t be making 29 threes against them.

Along with defense, the New York Knicks’ chemistry also seems weak

The Knicks are working to develop chemistry, adjusting to two new starters and multiple fresh rotation players brought in through trades and injuries. “I think we’re just trying to find our identity, find it as a team and our culture as a team,” said Bridges, who was acquired from the Nets.

Thibodeau described their chemistry as “the challenge with any team,” but the process has been difficult for the Knicks following major changes to last season’s 50-win roster. With Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo leaving in the trade for Towns from Minnesota, and Isaiah Hartenstein exiting via free agency, the Knicks are finding it challenging to adjust.

To top things off, big men Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa also are injured to start the season. Likewise, they will remain out for this matchup as well. Robinson, after suffering multiple stress fractures on his left ankle, will take a long period for his recovery. Achiuwa, on the other hand, is dealing with a strained left hamstring injury but should be back in another week or so.

The Indiana Pacers are placing faith in most of their previous season’s roster

Despite starting last season’s playoffs as the No. 6 seed, Indiana reached the first Eastern Conference Finals since 2014, only to be swept by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics. The Pacers entered the preseason with 13 of 15 players who were on their playoff roster still on the team, including all five starters.

The Pacers’ boss Rick Carlisle is satisfied with their roster depth. “I love our group. Depth played an important part for us last year, getting to the playoffs where we were able to advance a couple rounds. We’re just fortunate to have great people who play hard and play the right way,” said Rick, speaking to NBA.com. And their amazing front office could re-sign most players as free agents. And in the offseason, Nembhard signed up for three more years of doing whatever the Pacers need.

The Pacers have reported Isiah Jackson as questionable for the game who is dealing with a groin injury. James Wiseman, who played the first game only for 5 minutes, tore his right Achilles, and no doubt he’ll be for sure not playing in this matchup. Not only could he miss this matchup, but he could also sit out the entire season.

Both the Pacers and Knicks showed some flaws in their season openers. While the Pacers came out with a win, they faced the Pistons, who have improved since last season. The Knicks, on the other hand, went up against the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. The franchise celebrated banner No. 18 with a decisive victory over New York.

The Knicks find inspiration in the difficult defeat and the recollection of the Pacers’ victory over them in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden. With that motivation, the Knicks are likely to fight hard and come away with a win.