On May 18, Beijing time, the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals continued to play, and the New York Knicks challenged the Pacers away, although the Knicks lacked Randle and Anunoby, the two absolute cores, and now they can still lead with a score of 3-2, which is really amazing, in addition to the big head Brunson played the role of the leading brother, Hart and DiVincenzo are also crucial, they almost played the whole game, carrying the team on their shoulders, and the tenacity of the Knicks is moving.
At the beginning of this game, the two sides played inextricably, and the scores went back and forth, not giving in to each other. DiVincenzo and McBride both scored 15 points in the first half, while Brunson struggled with the Pacers' tight defense, scoring just five points on 2-of-13 shooting at the end of the first half. On the Pacers' side, in addition to Haliburton, Siakam and Turner are also powerful, they can not only shoot the basketball, but also keep hitting the inside to make damage. The Knicks' four-guard lineup is really passive when it comes to protecting rebounds. That's why Hart can be the team's rebounding leader. At the end of the first half, the Pacers led the Knicks 61-51.
At the start of the second half, the Knicks launched a counterattack and scored five straight points to narrow the score to five points, forcing Carlisle to call a timeout, and after returning to the game, the Pacers extended the score to 11 points with Nembhard's three points. The Knicks are also a bit strategic to give up in the following games, after all, they will return to their home court to conserve their strength. In the fourth quarter, Hart went straight back to the locker room, as if the previous injury had affected him!
The two sides are going to fight for seven! In terms of squad depth and physical strength, the Pacers still have the advantage. What do you think?