Back at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks regained a 3-2 advantage against the Pacers in the NBA playoffs on Tuesday, a rebound that the Timberwolves failed to imitate, who suffered a third consecutive loss against the champions in title, the Denver Nuggets.
After suffering two defeats in a row in Indiana, including a 32-point setback in Game 4, the New York Knicks took revenge in their home arena, winning by 30 points as well (121-91), thanks in particular to the inevitable Jalen Brunson (44 pts, 7 assists).
“He really has the desire to share everything with his teammates, and in my eyes, that’s the best of him,” commented his coach Tom Thibodeau after the meeting, referring to the player, who showed no signs fatigue after two matches in Indiana during which Brunson, injured in one foot, seemed less in rhythm.
With 28 points in the first half, Brunson, limited to 18 points during Sunday’s defeat, even set a new record for the Knicks in the playoffs. “I love the fact that he never makes excuses. He never talks about injury,” added Thibodeau.
The Knicks will advance to the Eastern Conference finals if they win Friday in Indianapolis. It would be the first time… since 2000. At the time, the legendary pivot of the New York franchise Patrick Ewing was still in the squad.
The champion on the right track
Led 2-0 by the Timberwolves after two home defeats at the start of the series, the Denver Nuggets, defending champions, were almost already eliminated in the eyes of some commentators.
But since then, Nikola Jokic, crowned best player of the season for the third time, and his teammates have won twice in Minnesota, and followed up Tuesday evening with a third convincing victory (112-97) in their room for regain the advantage 3-2.
Nikola Jokic finished the game with 40 points (68% shooting), 7 rebounds and 13 assists, all with no lost balls! On the Wolves side, young star guard Anthony Edwards, who had scored 44 points in the previous match, was limited to 18 points and a poor 5 out of 15 shooting.
“We knew we had to do things differently with Anthony Edwards, who is a defense demolisher in his own right. We + trapped him +, we put two defenders on him (…), it requires a lot of effort, and our guys dedicated themselves to it and it was very important for our victory,” praised the coach of the Nuggets Michael Malone.
A success Thursday in Minneapolis is now enough for the Nuggets to qualify for the Western Conference final. But Nikola Jokic refuses to be overconfident: “We always have our backs against the wall and we don’t want that to change. We want to win at all costs, and we are going to Minnesota to get a victory,” he said.
Results of the conference semi-final matches played on Tuesday:
EAST
New York (N.2) beats Indiana (N.6) 121-91 and leads 3-2. Match N.6 Friday in Indianapolis.
WEST
Denver (N.2) beats Minnesota (N.3) 112-97 and leads 3-2. Match N.6 Thursday in Minneapolis.
