Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and Aaron Nesmith added 30, helping the visiting Indiana Pacers rally for a 138-135 overtime victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The third-seeded Knicks squandered a 14-point lead in the final 2:39 of the fourth quarter due in large part to Nesmith's sharp shooting.
Nesmith highlighted an 8-for-9 performance from 3-point range by making five treys during the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation.
Haliburton appeared to win it following a friendly carom off the rim on an apparent 3-pointer at the buzzer, only for replays to show that his toe was on the line. That made it a 2-pointer and forced overtime.
When he thought the game was over, Haliburton made a choke sign in the direction of the Knicks' bench.
Andrew Nembhard sank a 3-pointer and two layups in OT, the last lay-in giving Indiana a 136-135 lead with 26.7 seconds to play. An attempted pass to Brunson deflected off his fingers and out of bounds, and former Knick Obi Toppin's dunk extended the advantage to three with 10.9 seconds left.
The Knicks' Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns misfired on 3-point attempts in the final moments.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in New York.
Pascal Siakam scored 17 points, Nembhard finished with 15 and Myles Turner added 14 for the fourth-seeded Pacers. Haliburton handed out 11 assists.
Brunson scored 43 points and Towns added 35 to go along with 12 rebounds for the Knicks.
Towns sank 4 of 8 shots from 3-point range, a big improvement after he made just 3 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc in New York's six-game series victory over the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals.
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby each scored 16 points in the loss.
Brunson committed his fifth foul with 10:05 remaining in the fourth quarter and retreated to the bench after T.J. McConnell made a free throw to pull Indiana within 94-92.
New York, however, went on a 14-0 run in Brunson's absence, with Anunoby draining a 3-pointer and a short jumper to ignite the spurt. The Pacers did themselves no favors by fouling McBride and Towns on 3-point attempts, with the duo combining to make 5 of 6 free throws.
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Luka Doncic is preparing for his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The superstar forward was traded to the franchise in a shock move ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. General manager Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office knew they were taking a risk, as Doncic only had one additional guaranteed year on his contract. That's why the Lakers have been so proactive in building a team around Doncic's skill set and involving him in the new additions to the roster. They want him to re-sign. 2008 NBA champion Brian Scalabrine, speaking via Sirius XM NBA Dash Radio on July 28, shared his belief that the Lakers have challenged Doncic to get into shape. "I do believe that Luka will sign an extension for the Lakers," Scalabrine said. "...I also believe that the Lakers told him, 'We're not giving you an extension unless you get into shape.'... I don't have any sources on that or anything like that, but I know that JJ Redick talked about it. I would assume that Rob Pelinka and the new ownership of the Lakers are like, 'We want to pay you. We want to give you the keys to the franchise. We want to get Deandre Ayton that you want, and Marcus Smart. But you owe us something too. And you owe us taking care of your body. No more drinking and fried foods and whatever you did before ... You're a world-class player. Let's get you in world-class shape.'" Doncic is clearly in the best shape of his NBA career heading into the new season. He's just been featured in Men's Health magazine for his body transformation. The likelihood that his increased fitness translates to a potential MVP season is high. The Lakers are a team that understands how to deal with superstar talent. Doncic isn't the first world-class player to don the purple and gold jersey. The promise of a big payday and becoming the featured franchise player was likely enough to entice him into making the change. Of course, being jettisoned from the Dallas Mavericks is likely playing a part in his summer of swole, too. Doncic is highly likely to sign a new deal with the Lakers. They've pulled out all the stops to make him feel at home. In return, they're getting the most in-shape version of the star possible. From the outside looking in, it seems like a win-win.
Caitlin Clark is expected to sit out for a fourth straight game on Sunday when the Indiana Fever take on the Chicago Sky in a much-awaited rivalry matchup. The 23-year-old is still dealing with a reaggravated groin strain and has no timetable to return. The rest of her Fever teammates have had to step up in her absence. There is, perhaps, no other player who has taken a bigger role on the offensive end amid Clark’s injury spell than three-time All-Star Kelsey Mitchell. Mitchell, however, struggled with her shot in Thursday’s win against the Las Vegas Aces. The 5-foot-8 guard shot the ball poorly in the first three quarters, going just 4-of-19 from the field for 12 points. Mitchell caught fire in the fourth, though. She went 4-of-5 in the final frame for nine points, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-24 shooting. This is exactly why head coach Stephanie White remains completely confident in Mitchell’s scoring ability. The veteran coach has made it clear that she has given Mitchell the green light to shoot the rock. “The biggest thing with Kelsey is just telling her, ‘Let it fly.’ It’s going to go,” White said after Thursday’s win against Las Vegas. "... Keep shooting it from outside. She made some big ones when we needed them.” Kelsey Mitchell Has Stepped up Amid Clark's Injury Mitchell has answered the call for the Fever of late. In the three games Clark has been sidelined, Mitchell has put up averages of 22.0 points on 42.9% shooting. She also knocked down 2.7 triples during that stretch on a 34.8% clip. The 29-year-old veteran will need to keep her foot on the gas on Sunday as the Fever try to take down the Sky at United Center. With Clark watching from the bench, the Fever will rely on Mitchell’s scoring against Chicago as they look to improve on their 13-12 record. The Fever and Sky meet at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC.
Second-year Green Bay Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd can’t seem to catch a break. Chosen by the Packers with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Lloyd dealt with hamstring injuries throughout training camp last summer before suffering a season-ending ankle injury just one week into his rookie season. Marshawn Lloyd Knocked from Packers Practice As the intensity ratchets up at Packers training camp, Lloyd’s second season may have already gotten off on the wrong foot, during Green Bay’s first practice in full pads this summer. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Lloyd stayed out on the field but didn’t continue to practice, instead watching from behind the huddle without a helmet. Demovsky points out that Lloyd was slow to get up but then did not return to practice the rest of the day. The Packers are likely hoping for big things from Lloyd, who is likely to compete with Emmanuel Wilson for the lion’s share of carries behind Wilson. It remains to be seen how serious Lloyd’s injury is, but if the 24-year-old is forced to miss any significant time, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers may be wise to go shopping for some quality running back help in the days and weeks ahead.
The Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in Major League Baseball. Depth contributions throughout the lineup and on the pitching staff are a major factor in their success, but what might be even more important is the heater shortstop Bo Bichette is on. Like most of the rest of the team, after a slow start, Bichette has found his groove, and he put it all on display as Toronto (63-43) won three of four at AL Central-leading Detroit from Thursday-Sunday. Already with two RBI on Thursday and Friday, Bichette added two RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win that included this unreal 13-pitch at-bat against Tarik Skubal. Not many are taking arguably the best pitcher in baseball 13 pitches deep and forcing a walk. In Toronto's 10-4 loss Sunday, Bichette went 5-for-5 with two more RBI. Per StatMuse, it was his fourth five-hit game in the big leagues. Bichette entered the four-game series with a .281 average and now heads to Baltimore with a .289 average. That's superstar stuff from the 27-year-old two-time All-Star. Through 103 games, Bichette has 13 HRs and 65 RBI, putting him on pace for a 20-HR, 99-RBI season. He has driven in 100 runs only once during his seven-year MLB career. Bichette is doing himself wonders in a contract year, especially after a down, injury-plagued 2024 season. Toronto's chance to extend him at a discounted rate is long gone, and it feels like a formality that Bichette will at least test the market this winter. We've seen megadeals handed out to some of the league's best shortstops in recent years, including the Mets' Francisco Lindor, Texas' Corey Seager, Philadelphia's Trea Turner and Minnesota's Carlos Correa. Combine that with the increasing contract values around baseball, and Bichette is set to receive a massive payday. For now, Bichette's focus is on helping the Blue Jays win and make a postseason run that includes Toronto's first World Series title since 1993.
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