2025 NBA Playoffs

Pacers Knock Out Knicks

May 31, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Indiana’s Pascal Siakam recorded 31 points and three blocked shots and the Pacers are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 after notching a 125-108 victory over the visiting New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night.

Siakam was voted the Eastern Conference finals MVP. Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points, 13 assists and three steals for fourth-seeded Indiana. Obi Toppin added 18 points off the bench and Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and six steals for the Pacers.

Indiana will face the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday in Oklahoma City.

OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 14 rebounds for third-seeded New York. Jalen Brunson had 19 points and seven assists and Mikal Bridges had 15 points for the Knicks.

Indiana had a 25-10 edge on fastbreak points to finish the series with a dominating 106-48 advantage in that category.

The Pacers shot 54.1 percent from the field, including a solid 17 of 33 from 3-point range (51.5 percent). Myles Turner and reserve Thomas Bryant had 11 points apiece and Aaron Nesmith added 10 for the Pacers.

New York made 47.7 percent of its shots and was 9 of 32 (28.1 percent) from behind the arc. Landry Shamet had 12 points on four treys off the bench.

New York trailed by 15 entering the final quarter but a basket by Towns and two in a row by Anunoby pulled the Knicks within 92-83 with 10:15 remaining.

Haliburton then took over as he scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the final stanza.

The Pacers pushed the lead back to 14 on a basket by Nembhard with 8:26 left.

At the Brink-a-bockers

May 31, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

INDIANAPOLIS – St. Elmo’s will not host the hottest thing in town tonight. The New York Knicks responded with their backs to the wall at Madison Square Garden in New York and now are focused on forcing a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Suddenly, the Indiana Pacers are the team facing more pressure entering the pivotal and what could be, the decisive Game 6 tonight.

Indiana holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. However, clinching a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 will be a much easier endeavor in front of the home fans. Game 7, if needed, would be in New York.

“We understand what the stakes are,” Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. “We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything.”

The third-seeded Knicks were clearly the better team in Thursday’s 111-94 home victory. New York never trailed, shut down Haliburton, dominated the interior and forced 20 turnovers to deliver a convincing victory.

Jalen Brunson had 32 points, five rebounds and five assists and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds. Towns thrived while playing with an ailing left knee.

“This team is special,” Towns said. “In this series, we haven’t been able to close out games we wanted to. We’ve had moments of brilliance and (Thursday) we showed the world how special we are.”

New York’s task of evening the series will be much easier if it can once again slow Haliburton, the leader of the fourth-seeded Pacers.

Haliburton delivered a performance for the ages in Game 4 when he had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover, the first time a player achieved a 30-15-10-0 stat line in NBA postseason history. He also made five 3-pointers and had four steals in the 130-121 home triumph.

But Game 5 was a totally different experience for Haliburton. New York hounded him from the outset and mixed its defenders to keep the Indiana star off-balance. Haliburton had just eight points, six assists and two rebounds. He took just seven shots, sinking two.

“As a team, we need to have a level of balance,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’ll look at it. There are more things I need to do to help him. I will take responsibility for that and we’ll see where we can improve.”

New York’s Mikal Bridges fueled the defensive charge but had plenty of help.

“Just starting with Mikal, wanting to pick up full court, make anything that (Haliburton) was doing hard,” Knicks backup guard Miles McBride said. “Whether it was denying him, trying to stay into his body or guys being up, just trying to make it hard.”

Meanwhile, the Knicks outscored Indiana 60-34 in the paint in Game 5 as Towns repeatedly drove for baskets. Perhaps more startling was that Indiana’s edge in fastbreak points was limited to 16-15; over the first four games, the Pacers held a whopping 65-23 advantage.

“I’m just happy with the way we responded, honestly,” Brunson said. “We came out and had some energy to the way we played. I’m very proud of what we did, and we have to try to replicate it.”

Brunson made 12 of 18 shots while notching his fourth 30-point outing of the series. He is averaging 33 points in the series. Towns averages 25.4 points and 11.8 rebounds.

For Indiana, Haliburton averages 21 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Pascal Siakam is also faring well with a 23.6-point average.

Siakam wants to see the Pacers raise their level of play tonight.

“They played harder than us,” Siakam said of Game 5. “It’s OK. We played hard, but they played harder.”

–Field Level Media

OKC on the Brink of NBA Finals

May 27, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished 10 assists as the OKC Thunder escaped with a 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night in Minneapolis.

Jalen Williams added 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting for Oklahoma City, which seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Chet Holmgren finished with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander sank 5 of 6 free-throw attempts in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels contributed 22 points, and Donte DiVincenzo finished with 21 points off the bench.

The series will shift back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Both teams battled in the final minutes as the Thunder staved off the Timberwolves’ comeback attempt.

Pacers Need Two to Advance

May 25, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Indiana Pacers stand just two victories away from their first NBA Finals appearance since the Year 2000 behind a pick-your-hero approach. Meanwhile, the New York Knickerbockers stand stunned from two home losses at Madison Square Garden, once the Mecca of basketball.

Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith were the stars of Game 1, and Pascal Siakam engineered an old-fashioned takeover in Game 2. Now, the Pacers look to put the New York Knicks on life support when the series resumes Sunday tonight in Indianapolis.

Indiana holds a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after notching two victories in New York. The Pacers recovered from a 14-point hole with under three minutes left in regulation in Game 1 before recording a 138-135 overtime win. Indiana followed up with a 114-109 victory in Game 2.

Jalen Brunson has been carrying the Knicks with outputs of 43 and 36 points. Conversely, the Pacers never know who might step up.

Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists, and Nesmith had 30 points and hit 8-of-9 3-pointers in the series opener before Siakam carried the load in Game 2 with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting.

“I think what makes us special as a team is just that we have different weapons and we’re not consumed with who’s going to do what,” Siakam said after achieving his career-best playoff point total. “You just go into the game, and however the game presents itself, that’s how we go and take it and do it our way. And it doesn’t matter who scores.”

“Shout-out to my teammates for finding me and making sure that I stayed aggressive the whole game. It’s going to take all of us to get where we want to get to.”

If the Pacers win on Sunday, they will have the chance to finish the series at home with an unlikely sweep on Tuesday.

Overrated, Huh?

May 22, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – In the NBA Playoffs, a series doesn’t really start until the road team wins a game. Last night, the NBA Eastern Conference Finals began with a high-scoring and seriously physical overtime game at a sold out Madison Square Garden. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and his teammate, Aaron Nesmith, added 30, helping the visiting Pacers rally for a 138-135 overtime victory against the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Game 1 of the series.

The third-seeded Knicks squandered a 14-point lead in the final 2:39 of the fourth quarter due in large part to Nesmith’s sharp shooting. Nesmith highlighted an 8-for-9 performance from 3-point range by making five treys during the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation.

Haliburton appeared to win it following a friendly carom off the rim on an apparent 3-pointer at the buzzer, only for replays to show that his toe was on the line. That made it a 2-pointer and forced overtime.

When he thought the game was over, Haliburton made a choke sign in the direction of the Knicks’ bench, reminiscent of former Pacers star Reggie Miller who was at courtside, calling the game for television.

Andrew Nembhard sank a 3-pointer and two layups in OT, the last lay-in giving Indiana a 136-135 lead with 26.7 seconds to play. An attempted pass to Brunson deflected off his fingers and out of bounds, and former Knick Obi Toppin’s dunk extended the advantage to three with 10.9 seconds left.

The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns misfired on 3-point attempts in the final moments.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in New York.

Pascal Siakam scored 17 points, Nembhard finished with 15 and Myles Turner added 14 for the fourth-seeded Pacers. Haliburton handed out 11 assists.

Brunson scored 43 points and Towns added 35 to go along with 12 rebounds for the Knicks.

Towns sank 4 of 8 shots from 3-point range, a big improvement after he made just 3 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc during New York’s six-game series victory over the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals.

Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby each scored 16 points in the loss.

Brunson committed his fifth foul with 10:05 remaining in the fourth quarter and retreated to the bench after T.J. McConnell made a free throw to pull Indiana within 94-92.

New York, however, went on a 14-0 run in Brunson’s absence, with Anunoby draining a 3-pointer and a short jumper to ignite the spurt. The Pacers did themselves no favors by fouling McBride and Towns on 3-point attempts, with the duo combining to make 5 of 6 free throws.

–Field Level Media

No Repeat, Just Surrender

May 17, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No Boston Celtics team has repeated as NBA champions since the great Bill Russell led the immortal Celtics clubs of 1968-69. On sure thing: the 2024-25 Celtics are not immortal, they proved to be human. Human with flaws. Humans subject to injury and fatigue.

New York’s incredible guard Jalen Brunson and team mainstay OG Anunoby each scored 23 points as the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000 by steamrolling the visiting Boston Celtics 119-81 on Friday in Game 6 of their semifinal series at a raucous Madison Square Garden.

Knicks forward Mikal Bridges had 22 points and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds for third-seeded New York, which led by as many as 41 points. The Knicks wrapped up the best-of-seven series with the largest winning playoff margin in the OG franchise history.

In doing so, the Knicks proved they just might be championship material, but the upstart Indiana Pacers stand in their way. The Eastern Conference Finals begin Wednesday in New York.

NY’s Josh Hart contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to record New York’s first postseason triple-double since the legendary Walt Frazier accomplished the feat in 1972. Frazier and his teammate, Bill Bradley, were in attendance for the Game 6 victory.

Defending NBA champion Boston was led by Jaylen Brown, who had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists before fouling out late in the third quarter. The Celtics were again short-handed after losing star Jayson Tatum to a ruptured right Achilles during Game 4 on Monday.

New York shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 16 of 46 (34.8 percent) from 3-point range. The Knicks held a 55-36 rebounding advantage.

Payton Pritchard scored 11 points and Al Horford added 10 for Boston, which shot 36 percent and was 12 of 41 (29.3 percent) from 3-point range.

The score was tied at 16 before the Knicks began pulling away.

New York led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter and then opened the second with a 16-4 surge to open up an 18-point lead midway through the period.

After Boston’s Luke Kornet interrupted the burst with a three-point play, the Knicks rattled off 16 of the next 21 points to take a 58-32 lead on a putback dunk by Miles “Deuce” McBride with 1:31 left.

McBride buried a 3-pointer as time expired in the half for a 64-37 lead at the break. That marked New York’s largest halftime advantage at the break since leading the Los Angeles Lakers 69-42 in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, won by the Knicks.

The contest was effectively over when Brown fouled out with 2:50 left in the third quarter and Boston down by 33. Anunoby poured it on with consecutive 3-pointers to end a 10-0 push as the margin went above 40 at 92-51 with 1:51 remaining in the third.

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By that time, Knicks fans were taking over the blocks surrounding Madison Square Garden, rejoicing in the fact it’s been a quarter Century since the Knicks advanced to the NBA ECF or NBA Finals (1999 loss to Spurs). It’s been 52 years since the Knicks won an NBA title and Bradley and Frazier are the only remaining starters from that great Knickerbockers team, as center Willis Reed, forward Dave DeBusschere passed away long ago, and shooting guard Dick Barnett just died this month.

Maybe the ghosts of Madison Square Garden have caught up to the famous ghosts of Boston Garden?

Only time will tell.

–Field Level Media

Celtics: Alive and Well

May 16, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It appears it wasn’t mentioned to the Boston Celtics that they were supposed to go away quietly in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s devastating and season-ending Achilles injury.

The Celtics were loud and boisterous while facing elimination and won in dominant fashion Wednesday. Now, they have the opportunity to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at three games apiece when they visit the Knicks on Friday night in New York.

Tatum’s serious injury in Game 4 inspired Boston, which delivered a 127-102 home-court rout in Game 5.

The Celtics are 10-2 without Tatum this season, including 2-0 in the playoffs.

“It’s easy to kind of write things off,” Boston co-star Jaylen Brown said. “Obviously, unfortunate what happened to J.T., but we’ve still got basketball to be played. I believe in this group. Don’t count us out just yet.”

The lopsided Game 5 victory transfers the pressure to the Knicks, who need to wrap up the series Friday to avoid a Game 7 in Boston on Monday.

New York star Jalen Brunson could feel the urgency after his club was outscored by 25 points in the second half.

He also made it clear the Knicks didn’t relax due to Tatum’s misfortune.

“No, not at all. Yes, they are missing a big piece, but they are a well-oiled machine that has been in situations where they’ve played without him, and they’ve played well,” Brunson said. “We need to understand that and trust the game plan and play to win. It’s as simple as that.”

Brunson scored 22 points in Game 5 before fouling out with 7:19 left to play. Josh Hart led the team with 24 points and made five of nine 3-point attempts.

But the Knicks shot just 35.8 percent from the field with OG Anunoby (1-for-12, six points) and Mikal Bridges (4-for-14, 9 points) both having poor shooting outings.

“We’ve got to play desperate,” Bridges said. “I don’t think we did that,”

Meanwhile, the Celtics had six players score in double digits. Derrick White knocked down seven 3-pointers while scoring 34 points and Brown had 26 points with 12 assists and eight rebounds.

Kristaps Porzingis didn’t play in the second half due to ongoing issues with a viral illness. He had one point and one rebound in 12 first-half minutes. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis was having trouble breathing.

His departure proved to be a stroke of good luck as journeyman Luke Kornet stepped up in the second half and finished with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. The rejections were two shy of the franchise postseason record set by Robert Williams III a the 2021 first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets.

“I feel like it was just trying to make plays,” Kornet said. “Obviously, our season’s on the line, so I’m just trying to have a lot of energy, make plays. I feel like it was everybody. I feel like everybody stepped up and we were very connected and very aggressive and forceful and, obviously, did our job for the day. Now we have to get up and do it again, and it’ll require different things on Friday.”

Regardless of who Boston has on the floor, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will be studying intently to make the right adjustments.

“They have a lot of shooting on the floor, that’s going to remain the same,” Thibodeau said. “The thing about their team is they are a great defensive team as well. We can’t be slow getting back and you can’t give open shots to them. We have to be closer with our close-outs and be better with our communication.”

Though New York still holds the series lead, Boston carries the momentum as it attempts to win its second straight elimination game.

“We did what was necessary to do and what we needed to do to get it back to New York,” Mazzulla said. “You don’t get to pick the test that you have, you pick how you respond to them.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Confidence High

May 12, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics insisted they weren’t concerned by dropping the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks.

They stuck to the story despite those two setbacks coming at home. Even the fact they swept the four regular-season meetings and nearly all observers projected New York to be the team down 0-2 didn’t cause a lot of distress.

Blowing 20-point leads in both Games 1 and 2? Painful, of course, but not devastating enough to wave the white flag.

But their performance improved mightily in the third game of the matchup, and now Boston has a chance to even the series at 2-2 when it plays Monday night at New York.

“You’ve got to beat us four times. That’s what it comes down to,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown. “Not twice, not once, not three. You’ve got to win four games, so there’s a lot of basketball to be played.”

The one Boston win came in superlative fashion.

The Celtics led by as many as 31 points and regained their 3-point shooting touch. After being a combined 25 of 100 from behind the arc in the defeats, Boston connected on 20 of 40 in the 115-93 rout.

Jayson Tatum and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard each made five. Pritchard scored 23 points after averaging just 11 over the first two games.

“Who cares what the outside world is saying,” Pritchard said in reference to some of the chatter about Boston’s propensity for firing away from outside. “‘We shoot too many 3s.’ Everybody’s all saying that, but if you believe in your shot and you’re able to hit it, then take it confidently.”

Tatum added 22 points in a contest in which five Boston players tallied 15 or more.

The Knicks are facing their first adversity of the series after being walloped at home. New York never led and was down 71-46 at halftime.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson scored 27 points, but he wasn’t overly thrilled with his team’s frame of mind.

“I don’t think we came with the mindset of being satisfied, but I think it was just subconsciously satisfied being up 2-0,” Brunson said. “Just not the way we need to approach the game.”

New York knows a Game 4 loss removes the advantage it gained by winning twice in Boston. So, it basically is now must-win territory for the Knicks.

“You have to earn your wins. You have to put the work into winning,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said Sunday. “We knew coming in that they were going to be coming in with force and we’ve got to make sure that we’re ready for that. And you know — we’ve got to play a strong 48 minutes of basketball.”

Knicks forward Josh Hart said remaining even-keel is important for his club.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough series,” Hart said. “When we win, we’re not too high and when we lose, we’re not too low. We always try to stay even. Make adjustments, but the mentality, the character of the team doesn’t change.”

New York big man Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3, but he also injured his left hand. Yet all appears to be well as Towns isn’t listed on the team’s injury report.

Boston listed reserve Sam Hauser (sprained right ankle) as questionable but is otherwise healthy.

Meanwhile, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla isn’t concerned that his team trails in the series.

“There’s no expectations,” Mazzulla said. “We’re on a path of trying to go after greatness. There’s nothing to dictate the test that’s in front of you.”

–Field Level Media

Not So Fast, New York

May 10, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s All-NBA star Jayson Tatum finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the Celtics went up by 20 (again) but pulled away for a 115-93 win over the host New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.

Celtics’ Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard scored a team-high 23 points off the bench for Boston, which cut the Knicks’ lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Jaylen Brown scored 19 points and Derrick White had 17.

New York’s Jalen Brunson scored 27 points on 9-for-21 shooting to lead the Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

After struggling to score in the first two games of the series, the Celtics found their rhythm on offense. Boston shot 48.2 percent (40 of 83) overall and 50 percent (20 of 40) from 3-point range, and New York shot 40 percent (32 of 80) from the field and 20 percent (5 of 25) from beyond the arc.

Tatum made a basket to put Boston on top 112-89 with 2:40 remaining. He assisted on a 3-pointer by Al Horford on the next possession, and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla rested his starters for the remainder of the game with the score out of reach.

The Celtics led 96-70 at the end of the third quarter. Boston led by as many as 31 points after Pritchard made a basket with 1:42 to go in the quarter, and the Knicks trimmed slightly into the deficit by scoring the final five points of the quarter on an alley-oop dunk by Mitchell Robinson, a floating jump shot by Brunson and a free throw by Robinson.

Boston sprinted to a 36-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. Pritchard drove the ball across half court and hit a baseline jumper as time expired to put the Celtics on top by 16.

By halftime, the Celtics increased their lead to 71-46. Brown buried a 3-pointer to put Boston at the 70-point mark with 30.5 seconds left in the half, and he made one of two free throws in the closing seconds to give the Celtics a 25-point advantage.

–Field Level Media

Celtics: Season on the Brink

May 10, 2025 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had a simple message for his players heading into their matchup against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.

The Knicks grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after storming back from 20-point deficits in back-to-back games. Thibodeau told his players to forget all about that.

“It’s really irrelevant,” Thibodeau said. “I think the big thing is to understand what it’s going to take to win Game 3, to not get lost in if you’re up (in the series). That doesn’t guarantee anything. What we have to understand is what we have to do to win Game 3.”

Meanwhile, the Celtics expect to play with a hint of desperation when Game 3 tips off on Saturday afternoon in New York.

Boston finished 61-21 in the regular season and earned the second seed in the conference playoffs. But the Celtics fumbled big leads in the first two games of the series, which resulted in a 108-105 overtime win by the third-seeded Knicks in Game 1 and a 91-90 win for the Knicks in Game 2.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla knows the series will not get any easier at Madison Square Garden.

“You’re down 2-0 heading on the road,” Mazzulla said. “You have an understanding of your environment and what you’re up against. There’s also obviously a lot of things that we’re doing well, but then there’s things that we need to be extremely better at in those situations.

“We’re down 0-2. We’ve got to get on the road and we’ve got to find a way to win.”

For Boston, that likely means Jayson Tatum will need to play better. He is averaging 18 points in the first two games but he is shooting a lowly 28.6 percent (12 of 42) overall and 25 percent (5 of 20) from beyond the arc.

Jaylen Brown (21.5 points per game) and Derrick White (19.5) lead the Celtics in scoring in the series, but the team has struggled to find its rhythm on offense. Boston is shooting 35.6 percent overall and 25 percent from 3-point range in the first two games.