On May 18, Beijing time, in the NBA playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals G6, the Pacers sat at home against the Knicks. In the first quarter of the game, the two sides won and lost each other, and the score difference was always very small. At the end of the second quarter, the Pacers went on a 13-3 run to quickly open a 10-point gap. In the second half, the Knicks chased the score several times but were pulled away by the Pacers, and the Pacers defeated the Knicks 116-103 and entered the series to tie-break.
Injury status
Knicks: Randle and Boyang are out for the season, and O.G. Arnoldoby is out due to injury
Pacers: Mathurin season reimbursement
The key to the game
1. Cameroon Lions. Siakam had 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.
2. Threading the needle lead. Haliburton had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and only 1 turnover.
3. Teamwork. The Pacers led the Knicks 16 assists 35-19.
4. Rebounding dominance. The Pacers led the Knicks 13 rebounds 47-13.
5. King of New York is average in efficiency. Brunson was average, scoring just 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting. After being 2-of-13 in the first half and 2-of-2 in the opening game, he missed 11 consecutive shots.
Tournament recap
At the beginning of the first quarter, Haliburton took a three-point lead, and Nembhard scored six consecutive points to give the Pacers the lead. After the timeout, the Knicks hit four three-pointers, and a wave of 16-9 quickly overtook by five points. At the end of the quarter, the Pacers came off the bench to score a 29-30 lead in the first quarter, with the Pacers trailing by one point. In the first quarter, the Pacers stepped up their rebounding scramble, and made five frontcourt rebounds as many as G5 in the whole game.
Siakam grabbed two frontcourt boards in a row
Coming back in the second quarter, the two sides were still deadlocked at the beginning, and the point difference was always maintained within one goal. After the timeout, Turner fired three times, and then scored 9 points in a row, and a wave of 13-3 quickly opened up a 10-point difference. At halftime, the Pacers led the Knicks 61-51.
McBride steals Turner and counters for a layup
Yibian fought again, the Knicks played 5-0, close to the point difference, and the Pacers hit two three-pointers, and the score was stretched again. Brunson scored back-to-back points, but Siakam responded multiple times, with Harry scoring four straight points to give the Pacers a 14-point lead. The Knicks trailed the Pacers by 13 points at 75-88.
Harry hit a three-pointer
In the final quarter, the Pacers sent an 11-4 attack wave at the beginning of the game to quickly lead to 20 points. After that, although Brunson hit consecutive jumpers, the score difference was too large, and the game went into garbage time. At the end of the game, the Pacers 116-103 Knicks, tied the series 3-3, and entered the tiebreaker.
Player data
Knicks stats (3-3): Jalen Brunson 31 points, 5 assists; Miles McBride 20 points and 2 rebounds; Donte DiVincenzo 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists; Josh Hart 5 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists; Isaiah Hartenstein 4 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists; Presher Achiuwa 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks; Alec Burks had 11 points and three rebounds.
Pacers stats (3-3): Pascal Siakam 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists; Tyrese Haliburton 15 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists; Myles Turner 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists; Aaron Nesmith 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists; Andrew Nembhard 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists; TJ McConnell 15 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists; Obi Toppin had 11 points and four rebounds.