INDIANAPOLIS — Behind the force of Josh Hart, the Knicks not only survived Jalen Brunson’s extended stay on the bench — they thrived without him.

Adversity hit early in the second half against the Pacers on Tuesday night, when Brunson picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in rapid succession.

The point guard was subbed out with a nine-point lead and roughly nine minutes remaining in the third.

Karl-Anthony Towns rises up for a shot while Thomas Bryant (3) and forward Aaron Nesmith (23) defend during the first half of the Knicks’ 128-115 road win over the Pacers on Feb. 11, 2025. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

By the time he returned midway through the fourth quarter, the Knicks’ lead had bulged to 16.

And in the end, they only needed eight points in 23 minutes from Brunson, their captain, to blow past the Pacers 128-115.

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“I was of no help today,” Brunson said. “And just thankful that I have them as teammates and they were unbelievable.”

So how did the Knicks emphatically win their Brunson-less minutes?

Josh Hart (3) puts up a layup in front of Thomas Bryant during the Knicks’ blowout road win over the Pacers. AP

A heavy dose of Hart, who dropped a season-high 30 points and was a one-man wrecking ball in transition.

Hart left the court after a game-high 40 minutes and his first career 30-point double-double.

There wasn’t a crevice of the court he didn’t touch Tuesday.

“Josh played his ass off today,” Brunson said. “I don’t know what else to say about that. He was just a monster.”

The Knicks also got strong bench play from Miles McBride and Cam Payne, who won the reserve minutes.

Karl-Anthony Towns, meanwhile, owned the first half and finished with 40 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

“That’s a good team over there,” Hart said about the Pacers. “We played well and got the win.”

Ball movement became the vehicle to the powerful offense, with the Knicks combining for 37 assists.

Jalen Brunson drives on Bennedict Mathurin during the first half of the Knicks’ blowout road win over the Pacers. AP

“When we get the assist numbers we had tonight, that’s a recipe for success,” Towns said. “So getting back to 30-plus assists, that’s who we are and who we are when we’re at our best. It was a good day for Knicks basketball.”

The Knicks (35-18) were coming off one of their more disheartening efforts of the season, a bludgeoning at the hands of the Celtics on Saturday that felt like an indictment on their status as contenders.

The Pacers (29-23) aren’t quite the Celtics, but it was a formidable test.

Not only were they streaking behind a rejuvenated Tyrese Haliburton, they were responsible for eliminating the Knicks in the conference semifinals last season.

Tyrese Haliburton drives on Mikal Bridges during the Knicks’ blowout road victory over the Pacers. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

In fact, the Knicks entered Tuesday on a five-game losing streak in Indiana — including three defeats in the playoffs.

It was a house of horrors for the Knicks in the conference finals, with a Mother’s Day Massacre defeat and the Andrew Nembhard miracle trey in Game 3.

But this time, the Knicks scored relentlessly and were solid from tipoff.

The first half was a Towns masterpiece. In the second quarter, he jammed over Indiana’s Thomas Bryant and followed with a fake behind-the-back pass that utterly fooled Haliburton before feeding Hart in transition for the assist.

Towns had 24 points, four rebounds and three assists by halftime, with the Knicks enjoying a 68-60 advantage. That lead only got bigger when the Knicks’ best player, Brunson, went out with foul trouble.

Hart made sure of it.

“What Josh did is what we needed to win,” Tom Thibodeau said. “He was everywhere, flying around, doing everything. Good team win, good bounce back.”