Rest Helped Carlisle’s Team ln Game 1 Win
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Shara Talia Taylor
Big Haliburton Basket Gets Pacers To OT
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton’s shot at the buzzer at the end of the fourth quarter took his team into overtime for a 138-135 win Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The win gave the team a 1-0 lead and surprised the Knicks, who were ahead at the end of the game. Indiana stepped up after half time to out score New York 25-21 in the third quarter and 38-35 in the fourth.
“It’s a long series,” said Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle following the game. “We’re not going to get too excited about this.”
Carlisle said the Pacers had remarkable resilience in the game. He said ahead of the match that they’ve had the past week off to rest so they were anxious to play. Both teams battled to start, but the Knicks were able to gain significant advantage, a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter.
“I think we did a great job, chipping away, chipping away, chipping away and good things happened for us,” said Haliburton.
The Pacers trailed 36-34 by the end of the first quarter, 69-62 at halftime and 90-87 by the end of the third quarter. They started hammering away in the fourth after the 17-point deficit. Haliburton made a 2-point shot as the clock wound down, which was reviewed to determine if it was a 3-pointer. The Pacers increased their tempo in overtime for a win.
“Fouling, offensive rebounds, making life as hard as possible for Brunson and Towns,” said Aaron Nesmith about what was challenging for them in the game. “We were losing the game, so we have a lot to clean up, a lot to get better from, and we’ll do that.”
Jalen Brunson scored 43 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 35.
Coach Tom Thibodeau said Brunson sets the tone for leadership. “The best leadership aren’t the things you have, but are the things that you do every day.”
Haliburton led Indiana with 31 points. Nesmith added 30.
Game 2 takes place Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
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