NBA teams have been warned: a 20-point lead isn’t enough to beat the New York Knicks in the playoffs.
Trailing 2-0 entering Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday in Indianapolis, Tom Thibodeau’s team pulled off a 22-7 run over eight minutes in the third and fourth quarters to erase Indiana’s 20-point edge en route to a 106-100 victory.
This was the second time the Knicks overcame a 20-point hole on the road in an all-important playoff matchup, just as they had in Games 1 and 2 of their second-round upset of the Boston Celtics.
Of course, it was the Knicks who blew the big lead in Game 1 in the East Finals, surrendering a 17-point advantage before appearing to lose at the buzzer on a Haliburton 3-pointer.
But while he was busy giving the Knicks the ‘choke’ sign, just as Pacers great Reggie Miller did against New York at the Garden in 1995, officials were ruling that Haliburton’s toe was on the line. Regardless, that game went to overtime, where Indiana pulled out a 138-135 win. And things only got worse for New York in Game 2, where the Knicks lost 114-109 as Pacers forward Pascal Siakam dropped 39 points.
But on Sunday in Indianapolis, none of that seemed to matter for Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, who combined for 47 points while cutting Indiana’s series edge to 2-1. Towns was particularly strong down the stretch, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter and finishing with a game-high 15 rebounds.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after scoring against the Indiana Pacers
It wasn’t easy, but Knicks guard Jalen Brunson had 23 points against the Pacers on Sunday
Knicks fan Timothée Chalamet made the trip to Indianapolis, where he got to see a Knicks win
Indiana struggled considerably from deep, making just 5 of 25 3-point attempts.
Haliburton, himself, was just 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, while finishing with a team-high 20 points.
The Knicks, meanwhile, hit 11 of 32 from deep, including 4 of 6 attempts by OG Anunoby.
New York appeared completely overwhelmed in the first half as TJ McConnell dropped 10 points for Indiana to push the half-time lead to 58-45.
In fact, the Pacers had a 13-0 run in the second quarter, when they appeared destined to cruise to a 3-0 series lead.
Instead, New York can even the series on Tuesday in Indianapolis. Game 4 is scheduled to tip-off just after 8pm.
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