Indiana Pacers Heading to Eastern Conference Finals

Indiana Pacers v New York Knicks - Game Seven

Source: Elsa / Getty

(NEW YORK, NY) – For the first time since 2014, the Indiana Pacers are heading back to the Eastern Conference Finals after a historic offensive performance in their 130-109 win over the New York Knicks.

1. First Quarter

The last time that there was a game seven in Madison Square Garden was 1995 when the Pacers won to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Jalen Brunson got the scoring started in this one with a midrange jumper to give the Knicks the first points. Pascal Siakam was the first scorer for Indiana on the following possession. In game two, OG Anunoby went down with a hamstring injury and scored the next five points for New York. The final lead the Knicks possessed in the game was after his fadeaway jumper to make it 7-6 with 9:32 left in the quarter. Myles Turner splashed a three to give Indiana the lead back, and for good. The Pacers ended up going on a 7-0 run with Siakam scoring the next four points. Josh Hart made it a three-point game with a floater with 5:12 remaining. Indiana’s offense then caught fire by outscoring the Knicks 11-2 courtesy of Tyrese Haliburton. Indiana’s all-star scored all eleven points and then gave the team its largest lead of the quarter with a three ball. His fourth three of the quarter put Indiana ahead 39-24. After twelve minutes, Indiana led 39-27. Haliburton led all scorers with 14 points followed by Donte DiVincenzo with 12 points. Siakam also had a solid first quarter with 11 points. Indiana went 16/21 (76.2%) from the field in the first quarter.

2. Second Quarter

The hot shooting for Indiana did not slow down in the second quarter. The Pacers shot an outstanding 76.5% from the field in the second quarter, only missing four shots. Indiana opened the first 3:33 of the second quarter on a 13-2 run with an Isaiah Jackson dunk capping it off after a Ben Sheppard block. Three of the four bench players on the floor scored (Jackson, Sheppard, and T.J. McConnell). New York had a small surge to its deficit to fourteen points following a Precious Achiuwa dunk with 5:14 left. Rick Carlisle called a timeout and Andrew Nembhard was able to silence the MSG crowd with a basket. Indiana was able to slowly push the lead back up to twenty-one points three minutes later with Siakam converting another field goal. New York closed the half by outscoring Indiana by six points to trail the Pacers 70-55. Haliburton led all scorers at halftime with 16 points followed by Siakam with 15 points. The Pacers didn’t have a player score more than five points in the quarter despite scoring 31 points. New York’s leading scorers were DiVincenzo and Alec Burks with 14 points. Along with shooting better than New York, Indiana was also outrebounding the Knicks by five at intermission.

3. Third Quarter

Considering Indiana shot 76.3% in the first half, there was some worry that they would come back down to earth, thus allowing New York to get back into the game. The Knicks opened the second half on a 12-3 run to trim Indiana’s lead to 73-67. Just like in the first half, it was Nembhard silencing the sellout crowd with a basket to get the Pacers offense going again. His field goal was the beginning of an 11-3 run that put Indiana ahead 84-70. Aaron Nesmith’s second field goal of the quarter was the final basket of the Pacers run. The Knicks scored four quick points that made it a ten-point game, but the Pacers would respond again. Nesmith third and fourth field goals of the quarter jump started a nine-point burst for Indiana to go ahead 93-74. He would score one more field goal in the quarter to bring his total up to 11 points in the period. After three quarters of play, Indiana led 101-84. All five starters for Indiana were in double figures after the third with Haliburton pacing all scorers with 24 points. DiVincenzo continued to lead New York in scoring with 23 points.

4. Fourth Quarter

During this series the Knicks can be compared to a rash that won’t go away. Despite being without Anunoby and a multitude of other players, they continued to fight. At the start of the quarter, it was announced that Jalen Brunson would be out the rest of the game with a fractured left hand. DiVincenzo scored eight straight points for New York to make it 106-92 with 9:53 remaining. Indiana responded with six straight points to retake a 20-point lead with 8:18 left in the game. New York then hit Indiana with a 7-0 run to trim its deficit to 13 points following a field goal from Miles McBride and five points from Burks. The Pacers held onto that lead for the rest of the game and didn’t let New York get back into the game. Nembhard put the Pacers ahead by 23 points with a layup with 1:31 left in the game. Not too longer after that, both teams emptied its benches. Indiana wins game seven 130-109 to take on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

5. Top Performers

Tyrese Haliburton (26p, 6a, 4r, 6 threes), Pascal Siakam (20p, 4r, 4a), Andrew Nembhard (20p, 6a, 5r), Aaron Nesmith (19p, 4r), Myles Turner (17p, 5r), and T.J. McConnell (12p, 7a). For New York, Donte DiVincenzo (39p, 4r, 9 threes), Alec Burks (26p), Jalen Brunson (17p, 9a), Josh Hart (10p, 8r, 5a), and Isaiah Hartenstein (0p, 8r, 2a). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

Indiana Pacers are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2014
Indiana Pacers snap four game road playoff losing streak
Indiana Pacers set NBA Playoff record for points in a first quarter of a game seven with 39 points
Indiana Pacers were the first team with 70+ points in the first half of a road game seven
Since 1997, Indiana’s first half field goal percentage of 76.3% is the best shooting half in NBA playoff history
Indiana Pacers set NBA Playoff record for field goal percentage in a game with 67.1%
First time in franchise history that the Pacers have won a series after trailing 2-0
New York Knicks finished postseason 0-6 when outrebounded by its opponent
Aaron Nesmith’s 19 points are a playoff career high
Aaron Nesmith set franchise record for most field goals made without a miss in a playoff game with 8
Andrew Nembhard tied postseason career high in points with 20
Tyrese Haliburton averaged 21.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.3 rebounds against NYK
- FG% – 53.8% | 3PT – 43.9%
Pascal Siakam scored 20+ points in three of the final four games of the series (26.8 ppg)
T.J. McConnell finished the series averaging 11.9 points per game
Donte DiVincenzo’s 9 threes are a Knicks franchise record for threes in a game
Donte DiVincenzo’s 39 points are the most points in a game seven in Knicks franchise history
- Also the second most points he’s scored in a game in his NBA career
Tuesday will be the 7 time that the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers have met in the playoffs
- All 6 previous matchups were in the first round of the playoffs
  - Boston has won the series matchup 4 times

7. Next Up

After a day off on Monday, the Indiana Pacers will begin the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night against the Boston Celtics. Pat Boylan will get the coverage started at 7:30pm with the Kroger Pregame Show. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play starting at 8pm. Series recap against the New York Knicks: