Game Preview: Pacers at Knicks (Game 2)

Wednesday, May 8 at 8:00 PM ET at Madison Square Garden

The Knicks landed the first blow in Game 1, but the Pacers will look to draw even with New York on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals.

For much of Monday night, the Pacers appeared in position to steal Game 1 on the road. But the Knicks came on strong late, scoring 39 points in the fourth quarter and ultimately coming away with a 121-117 win.

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

A couple calls didn’t got the Pacers’ way down the stretch, most notably a kicked ball violation on Aaron Nesmith on a play where he actually deflected Jalen Brunson’s pass with his hand. The call (which is not reviewable) allowed the Knicks to retain possession and Donte DiVincenzo hit what proved to be the game-winning 3-pointer.

The Pacers then had a chance to move in front with under 20 seconds to play, but did not get a shot off as Myles Turner was whistled for an illegal screen on DiVincenzo.

After the loss, the Pacers were more frustrated with putting themselves in a position to fall short than anything else.

“There are so many events in an NBA game,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s always a sharp focus on the last minute, but there were things that happened with five or six minutes left that really hurt us…It’s not just the last minute or two, it’s the whole game. The whole fourth quarter. This is a great experience for our guys. It comes at a cost – it’s no fun, but we’re going to have to learn some things for Game 2.”

RELATED: Pacers Demonstrate Resilience, Depth Despite Coming Up Short in Game 1 >>

The Pacers’ depth played a major role in Game 2, as Indiana’s bench outscored the Knicks’ reserves by a whopping margin of 46-3. T.J. McConnell, Obi Toppin, Ben Sheppard, and Isaiah Jackson all made a real impact off the bench for the Blue & Gold.

But as good as Indiana’s bench was, the Knicks’ starters all excelled in heavy minutes. Leading the way was All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who scored 21 of his game-high 43 points in the fourth quarter. Brunson went 14-for-14 from the free throw line and has now scored 40 or more points in four straight playoff games, just the fourth player in NBA history with that accomplishment (the others are Michael Jordan, Bernard King, and Jerry West).

In Game 2, the Pacers will try to do a better job of keeping Brunson and the Knicks off the foul line (the Knicks shot 26 free throws to Indiana’s 19) and also will want to limit New York on the offensive boards. The Knicks led the NBA in offensive rebounds in the regular season and while the Pacers limited them to just two in the first half on Monday, they had six crucial offensive boards leading to 13 second-chance points in the second half.

Another key for the Pacers is finding ways to free up All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton had just six points on 2-of-6 shooting and eight assists in Game 1 as the Knicks focused their defense heavily on getting the ball out of his hands.

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: Bojan Bogdanovic – out (left foot surgery), Julius Randle – out (right shoulder surgery)

May 6, 2024: The Pacers led for much of the second half, but Donte DiVincenzo’s 3-pointer in the final minute broke a 115-115 tie and the Knicks held on for a 121-117 win in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden.

Six Pacers finished in double figures in the loss. Myles Turner led the way with a team-high 23 points, while Pascal Siakam added 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists. T.J. McConnell tallied 18 points and three assists off the bench and fellow reserve Obi Toppin added 11 points and six rebounds.

All five Knicks starters reached double figures, with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 43 points, six rebounds, and six assists while going 14-for-26 from the field and 14-for-14 from the free throw line. DiVincenzo added 25 points while going 10-for-17 from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range and Josh Hart tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.

TV: TNT – Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst), Stan Van Gundy (analyst), Chris Haynes (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 >>