|
 [May 13, 2024]
Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points as the Indiana Pacers
breezed to a 121-89 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday in
Indianapolis to even their Eastern Conference semifinal series at
two wins apiece.
The sixth-seeded Pacers rode a sizzling start en route to recording
their second straight victory overall and 10th in a row at home
dating back to the regular season. Game 5 of the best-of-seven
series is Tuesday in New York.
Indiana's T.J. McConnell collected 15 points and 10 assists, former
Knicks draft pick Obi Toppin and Pascal Siakam each had 14 points
and Myles Turner added 13. The Pacers led by as many as 23 points in
the first quarter and 30 toward the end of the second.
"At the end of the day we did our job and won both games at home,"
Haliburton said. "Now going back to the Garden, we have to be
prepared to go for 48 minutes when we get there.
"We just handled business from start to finish. I think it speaks to
the maturation of this group that we've seen all year."
Indiana shot a robust 56.8 percent from the floor (50 of 88) and
45.2 percent from 3-point range (14 of 31) while holding a 60-40
edge in points in the paint. Second-seeded New York, in turn, made
just 7 of 37 attempts from beyond the arc (18.9 percent).
"We had better concentration and focus," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle
said. "Our habits were better. We got a good start and were able to
sustain a lot of good things throughout. But there's such a long way
to go (in the series).
"Every game is monumentally important. Getting down 0-2 is
difficult. It's a big hole. Coming home doesn't guarantee anything.
Second round always ramps up."
[to top of second column] |
Alec Burks scored 20 points off the bench and Jalen
Brunson added 18 while sitting out the fourth quarter. Miles McBride
had 16 points for the undermanned Knicks, who played their second
straight game without OG Anunoby (hamstring).
"Whether you lose by one or you lose by 30, it's a
loss. You have to respond the right way," New York coach Tom
Thibodeau said. "It's not just OG. OG was out for a good chunk of
the season, so that's no excuse."
Donte DiVincenzo drained a 3-pointer to shave Indiana's lead to
24-11 late in the first quarter before the Pacers answered with 10
straight points. Toppin had a hand in all 10, as he made a short
jumper, set up rookie Ben Sheppard's 3-pointer, connected from
beyond the arc himself and converted McConnell's alley-oop to give
Indiana a 34-11 lead.
The Pacers didn't let their foot off the gas in the second quarter.
They pushed their advantage to 30 points at 69-39 when Haliburton
drained a stepback 3-pointer before Burks made a pair of free throws
just before halftime.
Indiana scored 13 of the first 19 points of the third quarter. The
Pacers' lead did not shrink below 28 points the rest of the way.
--Field Level Media
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely
responsible for this content.
|
