Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
The New York Knicks’ season is over after they fell short against the Indiana Pacers 130-109 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The already injury-riddled Knicks took another blow when star point guard Jalen Brunson exited the game in the second half with a fractured hand. Without Brunson, New York didn’t have enough to overcome a 70-55 halftime deficit.
The Knicks got an outstanding performance from Donte DiVincenzo, who had 39 points, but all the injuries left New York severely undermanned against the Pacers.
Indiana didn’t give the Knicks a break either, shooting a playoff-record 67.1 percent from the field and 54.2 percent from deep.
After the game, Knicks fans lamented the loss and the seemingly never-ending injuries throughout the season.
Complex Sports @ComplexSports
The Knicks season will end with injuries to:
Jalen Brunson
Julius Randle
Mitchell Robinson
OG Anunoby
Bojan Bogdanovic
Josh Hart pic.twitter.com/RoI6PxLgAr
Rodger Sherman @rodger
And there goes the most fun playoff run of my adult life as a Knicks fan. See you next year everyone https://t.co/drIvR7rd5Z
Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
The main reason Indiana is leading by 15 at half? The Pacers had the best shooting half in a playoff game in the last 25 years, per @ESPNStatsInfo, shooting 76 percent to surpass the Spurs in the first half of Game 3 of the 2014 NBA Finals against the Heat. https://t.co/JVZBgvl27u
Considering all of the injuries, it was a commendable playoff run for the Knicks, but ultimately their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000 will have to wait.
As for Indiana, it will face off against the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the conference finals. It marks the first appearance for the Pacers since 2014, and they’ll be looking to earn their first Finals berth since the 1999-2000 season.
