Game Preview: Pacers vs Knicks (Game 3)

Friday, May 10 at 8:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Pacers are 3-0 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse so far this postseason and will need to continue to protect homecourt this weekend if they want to even their Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the New York Knicks.

The Knicks held serve at Madison Square Garden this week, winning Game 1 on Monday and Game 2 on Wednesday. In Wednesday’s game, the Knicks outscored Indiana 67-48 after halftime to come away with a 130-121 victory.

The Pacers had built a 73-63 lead heading into the intermission and pushed the margin to 12 on Andrew Nembhard’s layup on Indiana’s opening possession of the third quarter. But the Knicks seized control from there, stringing together a 27-6 run over the next seven-plus minutes to seize control of the contest.

Donte DiVincenzo scored eight points on two threes and a dunk in an initial 11-4 run that prompted a timeout from Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. After the stoppage, the Knicks reeled off 10 unanswered points to move in front and they never relinquished the lead.

PLAYOFF CENTRAL: Follow Indiana’s Postseason Run at Pacers.com/Playoffs >>

One positive for the Pacers in the loss was the play of All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton. After only scoring six points on six shots in Game 1, Haliburton made a point of being more assertive in Game 2. He scored 13 points in the first quarter on Wednesday, had 22 at halftime, and finished with a playoff career-high 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting (7-of-11 from 3-point range) to go along with six rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.

While Haliburton had a big night and the bench continued to contribute, outscoring the Knicks’ reserves 46-12, it was a relatively quiet night for some other Indiana starters. After scoring 23 points in Game 1, Pacers center Myles Turner only tallied six in Game 2 while going 3-for-11 from the field. Star forward Pascal Siakam finished with 14 points but need 18 shots to get there.

Defensively, meanwhile, the Pacers have struggled to slow down the Knicks. New York shot 57 percent from the field in Game 2 and went 14-for-30 (46.7 percent) from 3-point range. For the second straight game, all five New York starters reached double figures, with Jalen Brunson, DiVincenzo, and OG Anunoby all scoring 28 or more points and Josh Hart and Isaiah Hartenstein both recording double-doubles.

The biggest question heading into Game 3 is the health of a couple of the Knicks’ stars. Brunson missed the entire second quarter of Game 2 after injuring his right foot, though he returned to play the second half, scoring 24 points over the final two quarters. Anunoby then hurt his left hamstring in the third quarter and did not return. If the Knicks — who are already shorthanded without Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Mitchell Robinson — do not have either or both of Brunson or Anunoby this weekend, that would be a significant blow.

The Pacers can take comfort in knowing that it has been very difficult for teams to win in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Indiana is the only team in the NBA that has not lost a home game in the last 50 days, as the Pacers’ last home loss came on March 18. The Blue & Gold swept three home games in the first round against the Bucks in front of a raucous crowd and with the rival Knicks in town, the atmosphere should be even more electric this weekend.

Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Pascal Siakam, C – Myles Turner

Knicks: G – Jalen Brunson, G – Donte DiVincenzo, F – Josh Hart, F – OG Anunoby, C – Isaiah Hartenstein

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – questionable (lower back spasms), Bennedict Mathurin – out (right shoulder labral tear)

Knicks: OG Anunoby – TBA (sore left hamstring), Jalen Brunson – TBA (sore right foot), Bojan Bogdanovic – out (left foot surgery), Julius Randle – out (right shoulder surgery), Mitchell Robinson – out (left ankle stress injury)

May 8, 2024: The Pacers took a 73-63 lead into halftime on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, but the Knicks outscored Indiana 36-18 in the third quarter and never relinquished the lead en route to a 130-121 win in Game 2.

After missing the entire second quarter with a sore right foot, Jalen Brunson returned for the second half and scored 24 of his team-high 29 points over the final two quarters. OG Anunoby added 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting (4-of-9 from 3-point range) despite missing the whole fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and Donte DiVincenzo scored 28 to go along with six rebounds and four assists while going 6-for-12 from 3-point range.

Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 34 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in the loss, going 11-for-19 from the field and 7-for-11 from 3-point range. Obi Toppin scored 20 points off the bench, while fellow reserve T.J. McConnell recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 assists.

TV: ESPN – Mike Breen (play-by-play), Doris Burke (analyst), JJ Redick (analyst), Lisa Salters (sideline reporter)

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (sideline reporter/host)

The Pacers will host the Knicks for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7:00 PM on Friday, May 10. Find Tickets >>