Indiana Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton shows the choke sign
The Indiana Pacers were down by 14 points with just 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks. As game one seemed to be slipping away from the Pacers, Aaron Nesmith made a flurry of three-pointers that brought his team within two points.
With New York leading 124-123, Knicks forward OG Anunoby made one out of two free throws. Indiana Pacers star point guard Tyrese Haliburton then dribbled the ball down the court with 7.3 seconds remaining and made what he believed was a three-pointer. Haliburton quickly mimicked former Indiana Pacers player Reggie Miller by grabbing his throat, recalling Miller’s iconic gesture towards the Knicks during the 1994 Playoffs.
However, Haliburton’s foot was on the line, so instead of hitting the game-winning shot, he sent the game into overtime. With the game going into overtime, the Pacers outscored the Knicks 13 to 10 to take a 138-135 victory in game one.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and dished out 11 assists, while Aaron Nesmith added 30 points for the Pacers. Nesmith was phenomenal for Indiana. He shot 9 for 13 from the field, 8 for 9 from behind the three-point line, and 4 for 4 from the foul line.
Jalen Brunson scored 43 points and dished out five assists. He played fewer minutes than all the Knicks starters (37 minutes) because he picked up his fifth foul and had to sit in the fourth quarter. Karl Anthony Towns added 35 points and 12 rebounds. While both Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby chipped in 16 points apiece.
Game two of this best out of seven series will be played Friday night at Madison Square Garden. This game is a must win for the New York Knicks as they can’t afford to head to Indiana down 0-2.
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