Pacers take Game 3 over Knicks to cut series lead to 2-1

Indiana sealed Game 3 with a deep three-point basket from Andrew Nembhard, with 16 seconds left in the contest, to take a 109-106 lead over New York. Nembard only scored five points in game three, however all five of those points came in the final two minutes of regulation which allowed the Pacers to capture their first win of the series.

The Knicks were led by Donte DiVincenzo, who tied Haliburton with a game-high 35 points, including shooting 7-11 from beyond the arc. DiVincenzo was the primary source of offense for the Knicks; in the second quarter, he scored 15 of New York’s 33 points, with the rest combining for 18 points. Knicks forward Josh Hart recorded the teams only double double, scoring ten points and grabbing a game-high 18 rebounds, however, Hart went to the bench for the first time in the entire series with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter, when Indiana had a 75-66 lead over New York. The Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and dished out six assists, however he had a game high five turnovers, including a poor three point shot selection in triple coverage with less than 15 seconds remaining in the contest to attempt to tie the game at 109. The Pacers grabbed the rebound, leading Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith to sink two game-sealing free throws to reach the final score of 111-106.

The Pacers host Game 4 on Sunday, May 12, at 3:30 p.m. EST. In front of their home crowd, they look to even the series at two games apiece before heading back to New York for Game 5 on Tuesday, May 14.