Indiana

Takeaways: It’s Jalen Brunson all the way in Knicks’ dramatic Game 1 win over Pacers

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2024

Takeaways: It’s Jalen Brunson all the way in Knicks’ dramatic Game 1 win over Pacers

NEW YORK – The Knicks and Pacers have intense playoff history, and if Game 1 of the latest chapter is any indication, this series has a good chance to live up to that rich past.

The Knicks overcame a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Pacers, 121-117, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Monday night before another raucous and rollicking Madison Square Garden crowd.

Donte DiVincenzo drained a huge three-pointer with 40.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that put the Knicks up by three and they hung on from there.

Game 2 will be Wednesday (8 p.m., TNT) at the Garden.

Nothing about the Knicks’ Game 1 came easily, but they again relied on grit and tenacity to pull out the victory.

They had a poor second quarter, getting outscored 31-22 by the Pacers in the period.

And that would’ve been worse had Isaiah Hartenstein not made a buzzer-beating three-pointer from beyond halfcourt as the final seconds of the first half expired. Hartenstein’s heave sliced the Knicks’ deficit to six points at the break.

The Knicks looked like they were taking control midway through the third quarter, but the Pacers reeled off a 10-0 run to go up by five to get a five-point lead of their own.

Indiana later took a nine-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Knicks climbed back, cutting it to one on a three-pointer from the left wing by DiVincenzo.

Jalen Brunson later drained a pair of free throws to tie it at 109 with 3:29 remaining in the fourth quarter before OG Anunoby got a steal and a fast-break dunk to push the Knicks ahead by two.

Along with DiVincenzo’s three, the Knicks made key shots late to stay ahead.

After a tight series with the Sixers in the first round, the Knicks had yet another tight game with the Pacers.

They came out on top in Game 1.

TAKEAWAYS

Jalen Brunson hits 40 points… again

The Knicks star guard finished with 43 points on 14-of-26 shooting (1-of-4 from long distance) with six rebounds and six assists.

It was Brunson’s fourth consecutive 40-point game.

He again was serenaded with “MVP!” chants throughout the night.

Josh Hart’s all-around game

Hart was fantastic for the Knicks to do a little bit of everything.

He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Hart made a tough layup and drew the foul. He missed the free throw, but managed to grab the rebound and got the putback to cut the Knicks’ deficit to one point.

Tyrese Haliburton not much of offensive factor for Pacers

This was a close game despite Haliburton not providing much scoring for Indiana.

Haliburton finished with 6 points on 2-of-6 shooting. He also had two rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

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Indiana

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Published

7 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Freshmen from Indiana show potential in UConn-Butler game: ‘Heck of a player’

Former UConn forward, NBC Sports broadcaster Donny Marshall knows a thing or two about talented UConn guards.

The former Husky played for legendary coach Jim Calhoun and was teammates with the fifth pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, 10-time NBA All-Star Ray Allen. Watching UConn play against Butler on Tuesday night, Marshall said he sees a lot of Allen in reigning Indiana Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins.

Mullins made the second start of his career against the Bulldogs. The former Greenfield-Central star missed UConn’s first six games of the regular season with an injury, but the 6-foot-6 guard is quickly coming into his own and showing why he’s a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Against Butler, Mullins showed off his sweet jump shot, going 2 for 5 from 3-point range. He finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

“He’s a scorer,” Butler coach Thad Matta said of Mullins. “He’s got a scorer’s mentality. He gets his shot off quick. They move him around and create some angles for him. Obviously, he’s a heck of a player.”

Mullins did most of his damage in the first half, scoring eight of his 12 points before halftime. The former five-star recruit was the highest-ranked player in UConn’s 2025 class. Butler’s top-ranked recruit, Azavier “Stink” Robinson isn’t the NBA prospect Mullins is, but he held his own after a shaky start to the game.

Robinson has been thrust into the starting lineup with starter Jalen Jackson out for the season with an ankle injury. Robinson looked out of sorts at times in the first half, going scoreless with two assists and a turnover. In the second half, Matta moved him off the ball, giving him catch-and-shoot looks, and opportunities to drive to the basket without worrying about running the offense.

The former Lawrence North star responded with one of the better halves of his career, scoring 10 points on 3 for 6 shooting, including 2 for 5 from 3 to go along with two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one turnover.

Facing a veteran team like UConn, nothing comes easy. UConn’s guards harass ball handlers and getting into an offensive set is not easy. This time last year, Robinson was still in high school and, on most nights, the most athletic player on the court. Playing a UConn team where the goal is a national championship, Robinson was forced to grow, and he did not back down from the challenge in the second half.

“He’s coming along,” Matta said of Robinson. “That’s the first Big East road game of his career against maybe the best team in the country. It tells you how tough he is. He’s resilient. He keeps going.”

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Indiana

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Published

19 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Indiana's Curt Cignetti becomes the first back-to-back winner of AP coach of the year

Curt Cignetti has been named The Associated Press coach of the year in college football for the second consecutive season. He is the first coach to win the award back-to-back since it was first presented in 1998. Cignetti has led Indiana to unprecedented success, with a 24-2 record over two seasons. The Hoosiers are 13-0 this year, Big Ten champions for the first time since 1967, and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti received 47 first-place votes. Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea received two each, and Virginia’s Tony Elliott got one.

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Indiana

Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Central Indiana schools announce closures, delays planned for Tuesday

INDIANAPOLIS — Some schools in central Indiana are planning to close or delay the start of their classes on Tuesday.

The closures and delays come in the wake of a difficult weekend of severe winter weather in the Hoosier State. On Saturday, a wintry system dumped more than six inches of snow in some portions of the state.

Points north of Indianapolis like Lafayette received between three and four inches of snow. Towns south of the Circle City like Seymour saw similar snowfall totals. As for Indianapolis itself, more than five inches of snow were recorded in some portions of the city.

After Saturday’s snow, frigid temperatures took hold in the area. A Cold Weather Advisory was issued for much of the state as wind chill values dipped well below zero.

The cold and snow triggered a bevy of school closings and delays for Monday. Schools began to announce delays and closures for Tuesday late Monday night as snow removal crews across the state continued to try to keep roadways clear.

Though some schools plan to close or delay the start of classes on Tuesday, temperature improvements are forecasted. High temperatures are anticipated to exceed the 32-degree freezing threshold and hit 36 degrees. The warming trend is expected to continue on both Wednesday and Thursday, with high temperatures forecasted to reach 40 and 50 degrees, respectively.

Precipitation is forecasted for Thursday, though temperatures are expected to remain warm enough for Indiana to get rain instead of snow.

FOX59/CBS4 is tracking the closures and delays schools plan to implement on Tuesday. Check out the latest available list of closings below:

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