Isaiah Hartenstein tied a Knicks franchise record in the crucial Game 5 win over the Pacers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Hartenstein pulled down 12 offensive boards, tying the previous record set by Charles Oakley in Game 4 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Bulls.
The effort along the offensive glass also tied Hartenstein for the fourth-most offensive rebounds by a player in a playoff game in NBA history.
The Knicks big man finished the night with 17 total rebounds in 31 minutes while putting up seven points and five assists in the 121-91 victory.
More impressively, Hartenstein accounted for more than half the Knicks’ offensive rebounds on Tuesday and he singlehandedly out-rebounded the entire Pacers roster along the offensive boards, 12-5.
Hartenstein had called on the Knicks to get back to its successful brand of basketball after an embarrassing performance in Game 4 that saw the team get routed by the Pacers on the road.
“We have to really get back playing our basketball,” he said after the Game 4 loss. “Coming back and playing for the fans like that cause the way we been, especially today was not respectful to the fans and how they support us.”
The Knicks had a much better showing in Game 5, and Hartenstein played a very active role throughout the night.
He even found himself in the middle of a dustup after he took exception to an illegal pick on Donte DiVincenzo in the second quarter and got into the face of Isaiah Jackson.
The two players bumped chests and nearly went nose-to-nose before Hartenstein pushed Jackson away as the refs eventually got in the middle of the two.
The series now shifts back to Indiana, where the Knicks have dropped both games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the second-round series.