The New York Knicks continued their dominance in the NBA Playoffs Wednesday night. Tom Thibodeau and Co. defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series by the score of 130-21.
It was not looking great for New York inside Madison Square Garden for a bit. Jalen Brunson left in the first quarter with a foot injury. While he did return in the third quarter, OG Anunoby exited with a hamstring injury himself. He did not return.
For Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton rebounded after a disastrous Game 1. It was not enough as others on the Pacers came up empty. Here, we look at 10 winners and losers from Wednesday’s game in the NBA Playoffs.
Winner: Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks
DiVincenzo’s emergence into a cult hero in the Big Apple just continues. The free-agent signing was making big play after big play as the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday. DiVincenzo scored 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting. He hit on multiple clutch three-pointers in the fourth quarter while also adding six rebounds and four assists. DiVincenzo is among the most confident players with his shot remaining in the NBA Playoffs. This continued Wednesday evening in Madison Square Garden.
Loser: New York Knicks injury issues
Jalen Brunson was able to return in the third quarter after suffering a foot injury with less than four minutes remaining in the opening stanza. He played a huge role in the Knicks’ win. However, the star guard was non-committal about his ability to play Friday in talking with Turner Sports’ Chris Haynes after the game. Meanwhile, three-and-D forward OG Anunoby suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter after scoring 28 points. He did not return. We have no idea about his status moving forward. With Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson already sidelined for the playoffs, the Knicks’ lack of depth will continue to be tested.
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Winner: Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
After scoring just six points in Indiana’s Game 1 loss, Haliburton knew that he had to be more aggressive Wednesday night. After all, he took six shots to score that total. Haliburton was the one Pacer to answer the call against New York in Game 2. He dropped 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 7-of-11 from distance. The stud guard added nine assists and three steals. Indiana will need much of the same moving forward to make this a series.
Loser: New York Knicks bench
We knew that the Knicks’ bench was going to be tested with Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle injured. That’s especially true against a deep Pacers team. But this second unit did not come to play Wednesday evening. Miles McBride scored four points on 1-of-4 shooting. New York was minus-22 in his 28 minutes of action. In particular, McBride is the player that must step up off the bench if the Knicks are going to overcome these injury issues.
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Winner: Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are already riding high after blowing out an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers team in Game 1 of their series Tuesday evening. They must now be feeling much better after what we saw inside Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, it has everything to do with the injuries we’re seeing the New York Knicks suffer through. No one wants to see that. But this could set Boston up well in the Eastern Conference Finals once it eventually dismisses Cleveland from the NBA Playoffs.
Loser: Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
Yuck. Siakam has been about as inconsistent as they get during the NBA Playoffs for Indiana. After hitting on 50% of his shots in Game 1, the All-Star connected on 7-of-18 Wednesday evening. He scored a mere 14 points in a game the Pacers lost by nine. Indiana needs this dude to average well north of 20 moving forward if it is going to make this a series.
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Winner: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Brunson missed the final four minutes of the first quarter and the entire second quarter. If that didn’t happen, he likely would have scored 40 points for a fifth consecutive game. Having already joined Michael Jordan in some elite NBA Playoff company, Brunson returned from the locker room to play splendid basketball. Despite not being 100%, he scored 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting. That included multiple big-time three-pointers in the second half to help New York maintain a lead. The dude is special.
Loser: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Myles Turner needs to be both more aggressive and efficient on the offensive end of the court. We saw it to an extent in Game 1 with the big man scoring 23 points. He did not duplicate that success Wednesday, and it played a huge role in the Pacers’ loss. Turner scored a mere six points on 11 shots. He attempted just two from beyond the arc after hitting on 36% of his three-pointers during the regular year. That’s just not going to cut it.
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Winner: Isaiah Hartenstein, New York Knicks
With Mitchell Robinson sidelined, Hartenstein knew that he’d be taking on a larger role heading into Game 2. Boy, did the big man step up to the occasion. Hartenstein’s 14 points helped New York. But his eight assists from the low-post played a larger role in the Knicks’ win. That passing ability with Brunson, DiVincenzo and Hart doing their thing out on the perimeter was absolutely huge.
Loser: Aaron Nesmith, Indiana Pacers
If Nesmith is able to put up double-digit points on a consistent basis, it’s only going to make the Pacers that much more difficult to beat. They need that secondary scorer. This was not the case Wednesday evening with the wing hitting on 2-of-7 from the field while scoring six points. Indiana was also minus-18 in Nesmith’s 34 minutes of action. Ouch!