Knicks’ Cats Scratch Out Clutch Game 1 Victory Over Pacers

The Michael Jordan of Delaware and Michael Jordan’s statistical companion came through big for the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinal opener.

Jalen Brunson joined good company, Josh Hart continued his epic postseason run, and Donte DiVincenzo sank the game-winner of the Knicks’ 121-117 victory in Game 1 over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

Monday proved to be another banner night for New York’s Villanova trio, an effort headlined by Brunson: the point guard scored 43 to hit at least 40 in four straight playoff games, joining Jordan, Jerry West, and Knicks legend Bernard King as the only players to pull off such a feat in NBA postseason history.

Elsewhere in Wildcat accomplishments, Hart had 24 points and 13 rebounds in yet another full 48-minute effort while DiVincenzo had 24 after sinking 10 of his final 13 tries from the field amidst an 0-for-4 start.

The Knicks also prevailed in the opening game of a conference semifinal series for the first time since they did so against Atlanta en route to their last NBA Finals in 1999.

Such a historic victory was far from easy to earn: all but one of the Knicks’ seven playoff games to date has been decided by seven points or less and the Pacers quickly advised New York that a feisty series awaits.

Buoyed by their bench, the Pacers held a lead for most of the first half, getting 28 points from their second unit led by T.J. McConnell and Manhattan’s 2020 first-round pick Obi Toppin while the Knicks could only muster one, even with Precious Achiuwa re-added to the traditional seven-man rotation.

The Knicks kept pace (pun intended) with Brunson and Hart handling business on the scoreboard, uniting for 29 of the team’s first 46 points in the opening half while Indianapolis stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam shot a combined 5-of-12. Indiana was set to take a seven-point lead into intermission before Isaiah Hartenstein’s successful heave of hope offered hope. New York tied and took several brief leads throughout the third quarter but could never break away, hampered by Indiana momentum shifters like Myles Turner’s buzzer-beating triple at the end of the third.

Indiana took a nine-point lead in the early stages of the fourth but that only served to set the stage for another thrilling stretch where all but five of the Knicks’ 39 points in the period were scored by the Villanova trio. Brunson had 21 on his own to make his mark on NBA history, some of it coming in a thrilling final six-minutes stretch where neither team led by more than five.

Deja vu all over again proved to be the Knicks’ breakthrough, as Game 1 ended in similar fashion to Game 2 of the quarterfinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers: DiVincenzo heroics appeared to define the day, as the Knicks’ newly-crowned single-season leader in three-pointers broke a 115-all tie with just over 40 seconds to go and the Knicks might’ve gotten by with a little help from their striped friends

Granted a chance to win the game after a Brunson turnover out of bounds, the Pacers lost possession when Turner was whistled for an illegal screen against DiVincenzo. Pacer reps claimed that DiVincenzo’s fall carried some theatrics, but the call stood after a call to the replay center in Secaucus, putting both sides at the mercy of the Last Two Minute report set to be released later this week. The Knicks could’ve just as easily groveled about officiating, as Indiana received 16 trips to the foul line over the final 24 after getting only three in the first half.

Turner led the Pacers with 23 points, making up for the struggles of Haliburton (six points, 2-of-6). McConnell had 18 in relief while Toppin totaled 12, two coming on a showstopping between the legs dunk that drew annoyed boos from the MSG faithful.

Game 2 of the conference semifinal will be staged at MSG on Wednesday night (8 p.m. ET, TNT).

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