Knicks most to blame for nail-biting Game 3 loss to Pacers

Game 3 didn’t turn out the way the New York Knicks would have wanted it to. Grinding it out against the Indiana Pacers in front of a roaring Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Knicks ended Friday night with a 111-106 loss.

It was a dogfight the entire time, as the Pacers played like a team that had their backs against the wall. Entering Game 3, Indiana was down 2-0. So knowing what was at stake, the basketball community expected both teams to duke it out ’til the very end — and boy did the predictions come true.

Right off the bat, the Knicks scored the first basket, but it was all Indiana after that. Courtesy of back-to-back threes from Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers went out in front, and New York had to play catch-up the entire first quarter.

It was more of a back-and-forth affair in the second period. The Knicks managed to catch up and taste the lead twice. This was largely due to Alec Burks, who was big for New York off the bench. By halftime, the Pacers clung to a five-point advantage.

With two minutes left in the third, the Knicks would start a run that carried over to the final period. At the 9:46 mark of the fourth, the team had a comfortable nine-point advantage. It would not last, however. Behind Haliburton, the Pacers kept chipping away at the lead, and the score was suddenly tied at 99 all with under seven minutes remaining.

Both teams traded baskets until the Knicks found themselves down, 106-103, with 54 seconds to go. Jalen Brunson sank a step-back three to tie the game, but it was Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard who eventually broke the hearts of television viewers in the Big Apple. Drilling a step-back triple of his own, Nembhard would give Indiana the win, as the Knicks failed to answer in the closing seconds.

Moving on, it’s now time to discuss the factors that contributed to New York’s loss.

Injuries, resulting in a lack of frontcourt depth

The Knicks didn’t have many key players heading into the game. Besides Julius Randle, who’s been out for months, New York was without OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic last played in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Croatian forward is set to undergo season-ending surgeries on his left foot and wrist.

As for Robinson, the big man suffered a stress injury to his surgically-repaired left ankle. He saw action in Game 1, but was out for the last two games.

Then there’s Anunoby, who missed his first playoff game on Friday. A key starter for New York, the forward is dealing with a hamstring strain. .

In short, the team has a depleted frontline. With Anunoby and Robinson sidelined, the frontcourt starters consisted of Isaiah Hartenstein, Precious Achiuwa and Josh Hart. No doubt, the effort was there. Hart hauled down 18 rebounds, and he’s been spectacular on the boards throughout the playoffs. Achiuwa and Hartenstein provided energy as well, grabbing four offensive rebounds each.

Still, the Knicks allowed Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam to get a combined total of nine offensive rebounds for the Pacers. Three of Turner’s offensive boards occurred in the fourth quarter.

Failure to capitalize in the fourth quarter

Speaking of fourth quarters, that was another problem during this game. New York may have played well down the stretch in the first two meetings, but that wasn’t the case on Friday.

As mentioned earlier, the Knicks held a nine-point cushion with around 10 minutes remaining, but they let Tyrese Haliburton start a run that would quickly erase the distance. From the 9:45 mark to the 3:54 mark of the fourth, New York only scored one point. The Pacers, on the other hand, tallied 11 points in that span.

If the Knicks want to take home the upcoming games, then scoring droughts in the final period should be avoided at all costs.

Game 4 tips off on Sunday, May 12 at 3:30 p.m. ET.