In a battle between two unproven teams in the playoffs, the New York Knicks drew first blood against the Indiana Pacers in their series. This prompted NBA analyst Jay Williams to claim that the latter lost under questionable circumstances.
In the first game of their series against each other, the Knicks took the 121-117 victory over Indiana. Jalen Brunson put on a great show when he posted 43 points on 53 percent shooting from the field, six rebounds, and six assists. Donte DiVincenzo made 25 points, while Josh Hart added a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pacers, on the other hand, were led by Myles Turner’s 23-point game. Pascal Siakam contributed 19 points, while TJ McConnell notched 18 points from the bench. Unfortunately, Tyrese Haliburton didn’t play well when he finished the game with only six points and eight assists.
The win helped New York set the momentum in their favor early in the series. It also solidified Brunson as a capable star who can score and get his teammates involved at the same time. Indiana, however, is in a 0-1 hole with some of their stars not showing up when it counted the most.
NBA Analyst Jay Williams Claims Indiana Pacers Got Robbed In Game 1 Loss to New York Knicks
While many praised Brunson’s Game 1 performance, there were some opinions on the how the referees officiated the contest. NBA analyst Jay Williams shared his thoughts in a tweet posted by Sam Neumann for Awful Announcing:
ESPN’s Jay Williams sounded off on the officiating in the closing seconds of Monday’s Game 1 between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers:
“It makes no sense. I think it was an embarrassment for the league.” pic.twitter.com/IPfPlAmSZ9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2024
That play involving Turner and DiVincenzo could have turned the tide for Indiana if the call wasn’t made on the former. If the call wasn’t made, it could have been the Pacers celebrating the victory instead of New York.
It remains to be seen whether the NBA will take action on this incident or not. Hopefully, the right calls should be made for the remainder of the series to prevent any doubts from being casted on the victors.
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