The Cardiac Knicks are one more survivor.
Comfortable when they should be anxious and confident when the spotlight is brightest, the ‘Nova’ trio once again led New York to a close 121-117 victory over the Pacers in Game 1 of the East Regional semifinals. .
Donte DiVincenzo probably deserved game ball after making a clutch 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to break a 115-115 tie and then drawing a big foul.
He served as Tyrese Haliburton’s primary defender, scoring 25 points while holding the Pacers All-Star to just six points.
Jalen Brunson showed the scoring brilliance you’d expect from a point guard, scoring 43 points in 43 minutes.
Josh Hart had 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Still, the Knicks were in danger of losing Game 1 for most of the night.
They had to come back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and were caught up by two points with 90 seconds left.
Brunson followed suit by stepping back in the paint, the Pacers missed a trey, and DiVincenzo sank a 3-pointer off an assist from Brunson.
The Pacers had a chance to tie the game after Brunson’s turnover with 18 seconds left, but Myles Turner was whistled for a controversial illegal screen on the next possession.
Thus, the Knicks won Game 1 for the second consecutive series despite their bench being outscored 48-3.
