Andrew Nembhard hit a 31-foot, tiebreaking 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, Tyrese Haliburton scored 35 points, and the Indiana Pacers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the injured and short-handed New York Knicks 111-106 on Friday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Knicks currently lead the best-of-seven series, 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for Sunday in Indianapolis. New York led by nine with 9:45 left and was on track to take a dominant 3-0 lead, but with Jalen Brunson sidelined by a right foot injury, the Knicks couldn't hang on.
Nembhard had only five points, all of which came in the last minute, while Haliburton set a playoff career-best for the second time in a row. Pascal Siakam scored 26 points and seven rebounds, while Myles Turner contributed 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Donte DiVincenzo led the Knicks with 35 points, making 7 of 11 3-pointers. Brunson finished with 26 points and six rebounds, including a game-tying three with 42 seconds left, but he barely touched the rim on another three with 13 seconds remaining.
Alec Burks, who had only played one minute in the postseason, scored 14 points in 21 minutes for New York Knicks, who were missing starting forward OG Anunoby. Although Anunoby traveled to Indianapolis with the squad, it is unclear whether he would be able to participate on Sunday due to his damaged left hamstring.
Injury worries still contiues for New York Knicks
The Knicks had already lost All-Star Julius Randle, along with important players Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson, to season-ending injuries. Haliburton started the comeback after Indiana trailed 98-89 with 9:45 remaining.
He finished a three-point play and then hit back-to-back layups to reduce the margin to two. With 5:42 remaining, Siakam knotted the game at 99 with a three-point play, and when DiVincenzo went free on a fast break, Haliburton assisted in getting the ball loose. Siakam answered by converting one of two free throws at 5:42, giving Indiana a 100-99 lead.
New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers series fourth game is set to take place in Indianapolis on Sunday.
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