Pacers Stun Knicks In Overtime Of ECF’s Opening Game

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers went head-to-head in the opening matchup of the Eastern Conference Finals in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Despite being down by 14 points with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Pacers completed the comeback and secured a 138-135 overtime victory.

The game was a close fight from the very beginning, with both teams scoring with ease to start the first quarter. Both squads pushed the pace in transition early and after a close opening quarter, the Knicks found themselves up by two.

With both offenses still running at full speed, the Knicks slowly but surely increased their lead to seven at halftime.

The Pacers had a solid third quarter, but the Knicks opened up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter as the crowd in Madison Square Garden erupted with each New York basket.

As the final two minutes approached however, Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith made five straight three-pointers to help the Pacers storm back into the game. After scoring 20 points in less than three minutes, the Pacers were down by just two points and had the ball on the final possession of regulation.

Tyrese Haliburton ran the ball up the court in the final seconds and fired a tough contested jumper at the buzzer that bounced above the rim before falling in. Although it originally appeared to be a three-pointer, video replay showed that Haliburton’s foot was on the line, setting up overtime.