The New York Knicks have had an eventful run in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks are coming off a 116-103 Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, Josh Hart suffered a concerning injury that will affect his status for Game 7.

Hart was hit in the abdominal area during Friday night's game and was in and out of the matchup in pain. The guard reportedly suffered an abdominal strain, but he will attempt to play through the injury in Game 7 on Sunday, Shams Charania reports.

Hopefully, Hart's discomfort will be at a manageable level. He has been vital to the Knicks' strong postseason run. After averaging 9.4 points and 8.3 rebounds during the regular season, Hart has jumped to 14.9 points and 11.8 rebounds through 12 playoff games. In addition, he has hit 40 percent of his deep-range shots.

It is admirable for Josh Hart to play through injury. The Knicks will appreciate his presence in their must-win Game 7 against the Pacers.

New York had the chance to end Indiana's run on Friday night, but Tyrese Haliburton and company refused to lose. The Pacers had six players score in double digits, headlined by a standout Pascal Siakam performance.

Siakam led the team with 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He displayed a stout paint and midrange presence that gave Indiana the upper hand. Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton, and TJ McConnell also made their presence felt on both sides of the ball.

Meanwhile, the Knicks could not seem to close the gap after cutting the lead within 10 near halftime. Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, but many of his contributions did not come until the second half. The star guard will surely bring a vengeance mindset in the last game of the series.

Josh Hart, Knicks look to rally and advance to next round of playoffs

New York did not want the series to extend to seven games, but they also knew things would not be easy. The Knicks are dealing with untimely injury woes. Mitchell Robinson was ruled out for an extended period with an ankle stress reaction after the Knicks' Game 1 win. In addition, OG Anunoby sustained a hamstring injury in Game 2 that has held him out.

The Knicks will need a stellar effort to put the Pacers away at home. New York may be undermanned, but they have a key advantage that will be hard to stop. Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo spoke about the Knicks' awesome culture at the end of the 2023-24 regular season.

“It's a mixture of the chemistry we have, a mixture of the coaches and how they want us to have a mentality,” Brunson said. “Guys just have that mindset. It's how most of us grew up as basketball players.”

DiVincenzo further emphasized that New York's locker room has supreme synergy.

“I think we genuinely like each other. It's not BS. It's not for the cameras — I think everybody in this locker room likes each other and everybody in this locker room wants everybody else to succeed. That's the rarity here,” DiVincenzo said.

“It's not ‘I'm trying to get mine; I hope you succeed as well.' It's ‘I hope you succeed, and you're gonna help me succeed at the same time.' And I think that's the overall mindset in this locker room, and it's helped us get 50 wins this year,” he added.

New York will heavily rely on the chemistry in their win-or-go-home matchup against the Pacers on Sunday.