Watch: Pacers bench dominates in first half of Game 1 vs. Knicks
The Pacers got a ton of scoring from their reserves in the first half. The Knicks did not.
Indiana's reserves outscored the Knicks' reserves 27-1 in the first half of Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinals series. That's how the Pacers ended up with a 55-49 halftime lead, which would have been even bigger without Isaiah Hartenstein's halfcourt miracle shot at the buzzer.
T.J. McConnell led the way for Indiana with a team-high 10 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
It's the second straight game McConnell has provided bench punch after logging 20 points and nine assists in Indiana's Game 6 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Against New York, 22-year-old Isaiah Jackson added six points and five rebounds, simply outrunning the Knicks frontcourt at times.
Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard delivered eight points, going 2 for 3 from three-point range and logging a game-high plus-12 in his 13 first-half minutes. Sheppard had to play big minutes after Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith picked up early fouls, and proved he has more than a sweet three-point stroke. He has hops.
Meanwhile, New York's bench scoring was limited to a single Precious Achiuwa free throw. Neither Achiuwa nor Mitchell Robinson are known for their offense so if the Knicks want to hold their own in bench scoring, they'll probably need Deuce McBride to get on the board in the second half.
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