In a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks finally broke down while the Indiana Pacers broke out for a 130–109 win. The Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference finals to face the Boston Celtics, while the Knicks are left to wonder what could have been if not for all the injuries they suffered.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 points to lead Indiana, showing the aggressiveness on offense that he’d been missing throughout much of the series. The All-Star point guard shot 9-for-14 from the field, including 6-for-10 on three-pointers.
Jalen Brunson finished with 17 points and nine assists for the Knicks, but left the game late in the third quarter after fracturing his hand trying to defend Haliburton on a fast break. Donte DiVincenzo led New York with 31 points and was really the team’s only consistent scoring threat on Sunday. Alec Burks added a surprising 19 points off the bench.
OG Anunoby played, but couldn’t do much
New York initially got what appeared to be good news with OG Anunoby and Josh Hart starting the game despite injuries.
Anunoby returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games in the series with a strained hamstring sustained in Game 2. Prior to his injury, the forward was New York’s second-leading scorer at 16.4 points per game.
He hit his first two shots (including a three-pointer) and looked like he’d provide a lift for the Knicks. However, he was clearly slowed by the injury, showing little ability to move on defense or get up the floor quickly.
Pascal Siakam quickly took advantage of the matchup for Indiana, scoring 11 points in the first quarter on 5-for-5 shooting. Anunoby eventually only played five minutes to begin the game and did not play the rest of the way.
Hart, the Knicks’ leading rebounder in the playoffs (averaging 11.2 per game), also played after suffering an abdominal strain in Game 6 that limited his effectiveness. He scored 10 points with seven rebounds and five assists, but couldn’t bring the defensive energy for the Knicks that he had throughout the playoffs. He fouled out of the game with three minutes remaining.
Pacers raced out to blazing start
Indiana shot 76% in the first quarter (and 78% on three-pointers), led not only by Siakam’s hot start but by Haliburton looking for his shot. He scored 14 points in the frame, shooting 5-for-7 (and 4-for-5 from 3), asserting himself when the Pacers needed it most.
The Knicks looked slow on defense and other than DiVincenzo, who scored 12 points (and went 3-for-6 on 3s), no one shot well while Indiana seemingly couldn’t miss.
The Pacers ended the quarter with a 39–27 lead. The 39 points were the most in a first quarter of a Game 7 in NBA playoffs history.
Surprisingly, Burks when it looked like the Pacers might run away with the game. The veteran scored 14 points in the second quarter, giving the Knicks an additional scorer.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Pacers and Celtics will be Tuesday night in Boston. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET and the entire series will be televised on ESPN.
Source Agencies
