Game 1 between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks started out with a bang and ended with an even bigger one. The Pacers came back from a 14-point deficit to win 138- 135 in overtime. If this historical rivalry tells us anything, an incredible game should have been expected.
For the first three minutes of the first quarter, neither team missed a shot. Both teams were pushing the pace, and taking advantage of ball movement and open shots.
The Pacers threw three different defenders at Jalen Brunson to try and slow him down. Brunson would appear to injure his neck, but would continue. New York would end the quarter with a 14-5 run to lead by two.
TJ McConnell started the second quarter aggressively pushing the pace and attacking the basket, which is something the Pacers team is known for. However, the Knicks would go on a 13-1 run to regain the lead midway through the quarter.
Star guard Tyrese Haliburton would start to heat up late in the quarter, scoring nine of his 14 points in the half. Jalen Brunson would continue to show how clutch he is, helping the Knicks carry a seven-point lead into the half.
The third quarter was very back and forth, with both teams trading shot for shot. Players from both teams, such as Nesmith and Brunson, both found themselves in foul trouble due to some quick whistles by the officials. The quarter would end with the Knicks hanging on to a slim lead of three points.
The fourth quarter would start with Jalen Brunson picking up his fifth team foul. The Pacers would give up a 12-0 run with Brunson on the bench. They would struggle to find their shot in this fourth quarter, in large part because of the defensive effort by New York.
However, the Pacers would climb back into the game with some late shooting heroics from Aaron Nesmith, who finished with 31 points and finished with eight made 3-pointers.
Indiana would have one final chance to attempt to tie the game. They were fouled by OG Anunoby, and Nesmith would go to the free throw line, where he would hit both. New York nearly turned the ball over, but ultimately would have OG at the line for two shots. He would miss the first, and make the second.
Haliburton would continue to cement his legacy, hitting a shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.
The Knicks would start the overtime period with two straight buckets, but Andrew Nembhard would hit a 3 to pull within one. The Pacers would take the lead after a drive from Nembhard as well.
Brunson headed to the line and knock down two free throws to put the Knicks back in front. The two teams would continue to trade buckets, flip-flopping one point leads.
In the end, the Pacers made an amazing comeback after some scorching shooting to take a 1-0 series lead, ultimately taking the game 138-135.