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Behind another epic game from All-Star Jalen Brunson and a few gift calls from the referees, the New York Knicks rallied to win Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Indiana and again are solid home favorites on the NBA odds for Game 2 on Wednesday.

Tyrese Haliburton is questionable today for Indiana, and Mitchell Robinson suffered a stress injury to his left ankle which will sideline him for at least 6-to-8 weeks.

Indiana Pacers Odds +119

Yes, the Pacers are down 1-0 in the series but they probably should have and would have won Game 1 if not for two really bad calls against them late. With the game tied at 115 in the final minute, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson dribbled the ball over halfcourt. He then delivered an errant pass that bounced off the hand of Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith and into the hands of Indiana teammate Andrew Nembhard for an apparent turnover. But officials whistled a kick ball on Nesmith, and the Knicks retained possession. Shortly after, Donte DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer to give the Knicks a 118-115 lead they would never give up. Officials have admitted they blew that one.

Then with under 20 seconds left and New York up 118-117. Tyrese Haliburton dribbled over halfcourt, and Myles Turner set a screen on his defender New York’s Donte DiVincenzo. However, Turner was called for a moving screen, which was absurd. Was he moving? Maybe, but you don’t call that in the final seconds of a playoff game. The Pacers challenged but were unsuccessful.

“I don’t want to talk about the officiating. We’re not expecting to get calls in here,” Coach Rick Carlisle said after. “It would’ve been nice if they’d laid off that one, but they didn’t. That’s just the way it goes. We challenged it, they reviewed it. They got a bunch of people in New Jersey that agreed with them, so, that’s just the way it goes.”

Overall, Game 1 featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. The Pacers trailed by three points after the first quarter, led by six at the half, and took a five-point advantage into the final frame. However, Haliburton had one of his worst games of the season with just six points on 2-for-6 shooting, eight assists, four steals and two rebounds over 36 minutes. Haliburton posted his lowest point total of the postseason thus far, failing to reach double digits for the second time in seven playoff contests. He has been dealing with back spasms, and that may have affected his performance Monday.

The six shots were his second-fewest attempts in a game this season after a game in January when he left in the first half because of an injury. The Knicks’ game plan included trying to deny him the ball at times, but there were several moments when Haliburton appeared timid when shot opportunities presented themselves.

“I erred on the side of playmaking … and that wasn’t the right decision for me,” Haliburton said Tuesday following the team’s practice. “I still got to be who I am, but yeah, I’ll just be better tomorrow.”

Indiana’s bench outscored New York’s second unit 46-3 in the game. Six Pacers players scored in double digits, as Turner topped the Pacers with 23 points, Pascal Siakam added 19, and T.J. McConnell supplied 18 off the bench.

Pacers Hall of Famer and longtime Knicks antagonist Reggie Miller is set to join the TNT broadcast for Game 2. Indiana and New York squared off in the postseason six times over an eight-year stretch from 1992 to 2000, with Miller frequently playing the role of villain at Madison Square Garden, where he routinely feuded with Knicks players and fans.

“I’m sure I’ll hear the chants, I’m sure I’ll hear all those naughty words,” he said. “I will be surprised during the game if I don’t hear, ‘Reggie sucks.’ Actually, I’ll be a little hurt if I don’t hear, ‘Reggie sucks.’ I kind of want that.”

New York Knicks Odds -145

After a tight 36 minutes, the Knicks dropped 39 points in the fourth quarter — while coming with some clutch late-game moments — to post a 121-117 win over the Pacers in Game 1 on Monday. New York guard Donte DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to make it 118-115 Knicks before Indiana’s Pascal Siakam scored a close-range bucket to cut it to one point with 27 seconds left.

Indiana then got the ball back by forcing a Jalen Brunson turnover, but on the next possession Pacers center Myles Turner was called for an offensive foul on a screen with 12 seconds left. In the final ticks, Brunson made a trio of free throws and the Knicks got a defensive stop to clinch it.

Brunson, who entered the night leading all scorers in the postseason at 35.5 points per game, finished with 43 points on 14-for-26 shooting (14-for-14 from the free throw line), DiVincenzo logged 25 points, and Josh Hart recorded 24 points and 13 rebounds. All three of those guys played at Villanova. It marked the first time in NBA playoff history that three players from the same college scored at least 20 points each.

Brunson now has 40 points in four straight playoff games. Added to his six assists in Game 1 , he became the first player in NBA history to have a run of four consecutive 40-point, 5-assist playoff games. Brunson also has recorded at least 30 points and five assists in five consecutive playoff games. He is also the fifth player in NBA history to accomplish this, joining Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. Brunson also registered his fifth game this postseason with 25+ points and five or more assists. He passed Walt Frazier for the most such games in a single postseason in Knicks history.

Brunson has scored or assisted on 321 points in his past five games, the second most over a five-game span in NBA postseason history. He trails only Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic from last postseason (329 over five playoff games).

“The little things can go a long way,” Brunson said. “So yeah, the 40 points are cool and all, but it’s the little things that help us win games like that. So I’m just happy I have the group of guys that I do. I just know that we’re going to fight every single day. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

Hart scored his 24 points on 69.2 percent shooting and became the first player in franchise history to record at least 20 points on 65 percent shooting, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in a playoff game. DiVincenzo joined Larry Johnson as the only Knick to record at least 25 points, five made three-pointers on 50 percent or better from three without making a free throw in team playoff history.

All five Knicks starters recorded double figure scoring and at least one three-pointer for the first time in team playoff history. The Knicks shot 47.8 percent from three, marking the first time the Knicks shot at least 47 percent from three in a playoff game since 2000.

Pacers at Knicks Info

When: Wednesday, 8 PM ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com

Injuries to Consider

Indiana Pacers

NY Knicks

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