The Indiana Pacers qualified for the NBA Eastern Conference Finals by crushing the Knicks 130-109 on Sunday May 19 in New York in the 7th and final game of their semi-final. They will face the Celtics in the conference finals for a place in the NBA Finals.
Indiana was extremely efficient, with 67.1% shooting success, quite simply the best percentage in the history of the NBA playoffs. Six players scored at least 12 points, with Tyrese Haliburton scoring 26 and Pascal Siakam 20.
Ending the first half with a 15-point lead (70-55), the Pacers recorded 76.3% shooting success, the best percentage in a half of a playoff game in the twenty-year period. last five years.
Jalen Brunson injured
The Pacers also took advantage of injuries hitting the Knicks, who were already playing without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.
And even if the New York franchise was able to count on the returns of OG Anunoby (left hamstring) and Josh Hart (abdominal), it lost its leader and best player, Jalen Brunson, at the start of the last quarter. (17 pts), who fractured his left hand.
Donte DiVincenzo took over for the Knicks, hitting 9 three-pointers for a total of 39 points. But that was not enough against the Pacers, who returned to the conference finals for the first time since 2014. The match is scheduled for Tuesday at TD Garden in Boston.