On May 15, Beijing time, a battle of Tianwang Mountain in the Eastern Conference semifinals was in full swing. The Knicks and the Pacers, two rival teams, launched a life-and-death battle to advance in a tense 2-2 tie in the series. Surprisingly, the game swung in favor of the Knicks from the start, and the Pacers suffered an unexpected suppression.
As soon as the game began, the Knicks quickly got into attack mode. In the first quarter, they relied on efficient offense and solid defense to take the lead with a score of 38-32, giving the Pacers a disadvantage. However, the real climax came in the second quarter, when the Knicks' guard Brunson was like a wild horse, his hands were hot, and he scored 18 points in a single quarter, almost single-handedly tearing the Pacers' defense to pieces. At halftime, the Knicks were already far ahead at 69-54, and the huge point difference made the crowd enthusiastic
Brunson's performance was nothing short of impressive, as he was as unstoppable as a scoring machine in the first 22 minutes, shooting 12-of-18, plus a three-pointer and a solid free throw, to score a total of 28 points, as well as 2 rebounds and 4 assists, with a plus/minus of +20. Especially in the second quarter, his efficient performance on 7-of-9 shooting seemed to tell everyone: tonight, this is Brunson's stage.
And Hart, another big man for the Knicks, didn't disappoint either. He had a brilliant performance on both offensive and defensive ends, shooting 4-of-7, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, contributing 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, becoming Brunson's most solid backing. The two joined forces and made the Knicks' offense almost impeccable.
On the other hand, the Pacers seem to be in a difficult situation, and only Siakam is fighting alone, trying to redeem the disadvantage with his individual ability. Although Siakam had a good performance, shooting 5 of 9, 1 of 1 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scoring 13 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, he was helpless and unable to stand alone in the face of the Knicks' all-round flowering. The Pacers urgently need to find a way to crack the Knicks' defense and limit Brunson's play, otherwise the hope of a comeback will become increasingly slim.
Although the second half has not yet begun, judging from the momentum of the first half, the Knicks have an absolute psychological advantage and a score lead. For the Pacers, it's a game where you have to go all out and look for miracles. As for the Knicks, as long as they can maintain the state of the first half, play steadily and reduce turnovers, the victory in the battle of Tianwang Mountain is already half open to them.
Half-time stats:
Pacers: Nembhard 8 points, Haliburton 7 points and 4 assists, Siakam 13 points, Turner 7 points, Nesmith 5 points, Toppin 7 points.
Knicks: Brunson 28 points and 4 assists, McBride 12 points, Hutten 4 points and 7 frontcourt boards, DiVincenzo 4 points and 4 rebounds, Hart 12 points and 8 rebounds.