New York Knicks’ Isaiah Hartenstein Has Game 5 For the Ages

New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein struggled mightly in the team’s Game 4 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers. And to make matters worse, he looked to suffer a shoulder injury after falling to the ground.

With so many key players already on the injury list, the Knicks could not afford to lose another player. But, Isaiah Hartenstein was able to fight through the shoulder ailment and get in the lineup for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Like the rest of his teammates, Hartenstein was motivated by the blowout loss and wanted to get things back on track. He helped set the tone early, hitting the offensive glass with aggression. In the first quarter, he had more offensive rebounds than the Indiana Pacers had total rebounds.

New York was bludgeoning Indiana on the interior, getting back to their style of basketball. The Pacers beat them at their own game in Games 3 and 4, but the Knicks were able to get back on track in Game 5 as they upped the physicality and effort to another level.

Isaiah Hartenstein was a big part of that success on the interior. He finished the game with 17 rebounds, 12 of which came on the offensive glass. It was an impressive display, put into perspective by some numbers shared by Fred Katz of The Athletic.