May 9 (UPI) — Jalen Brunson overcame an early injury and scored 29 points to lead the New York Knicks to a comeback victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Knicks guard injured his foot in the first quarter and missed the second, but scored 24 in the second half of the 130-121 victory Wednesday in New York.
“I just knew I had to get my mind in the right place to figure out how I was going to attack the second half,” Brunson told reporters.
The Knicks will now head to Indianapolis, where they will take on the Pacers in Game 3 of the best-of-seven game series Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Game 4 will be Sunday in Indianapolis.
The Knicks outshot the Pacers 57% to 51.6% in Game 2. They also held a 44-34 edge in rebounding. The game featured 11 lead changes and was tied eight times. The Pacers edged the Knicks 46-12 in points off the bench and led by as many as a dozen points.
Brunson, who entered the night with four-consecutive performances of at least 40 points, helped the Knicks take an 11-point lead about eight minutes into the first quarter of Game 2. He then left the game about 30 seconds later and missed the remainder of the quarter and entirety of the second.
“All season long, no matter what is thrown at him, injury bug or whatever, he always bounces back,” Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “We knew the severity of the game and everything. So we knew. Everybody had confidence he was coming back.”
The Pacers took advantage of Brunson’s injury absence, immediately going on a 11-0 run to tie the score. Both teams totaled 36 points in the first quarter.
Guard Tyrese Haliburton and forward Obi Toppin scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Pacers through the first 12 minutes. The Pacers then outscored the Knicks 37-27 in the second to take a 73-63 lead at halftime.
But Brunson’s third-quarter return gave the Knicks a major boost.
They reeled off a 14-0 run early in the second half to snatch back the lead. Brunson totaled 10 points, while DiVincenzo scored a dozen in the third quarter. The Knicks outshot the Pacers 66.7% to 33.3% in the frame to carry a 99-91 lead into the fourth.
The Pacers, who shot 60% down the stretch, cut the deficit to one point about four minutes into the final frame, but never closed their last deficit.
“We are just sticking together, no matter what,” said Brunson, who scored 14 over the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. “No matter what the situation is, no matter what’s thrown at us, no matter what is a disadvantage for us, we are going to stick together.
“That’s the thing we always harp on for each other.”
The All-Star guard made 11 of 18 attempts on the night. He also chipped in five assists and three steals. DiVincenzo scored 28 points on 10 of 20 shooting. He made 6 of 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Knicks forward O.G. Anunoby logged 28 points. Forward Josh Hart chipped in 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Center Isaiah Hartenstein logged 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Haliburton paced the Pacers with 34 points, nine assists and six steals. He made 7 of 11 3-point attempts. Guard T.J. McConnell totaled 10 points and 12 assists off the Pacers bench. Toppin scored another 20 points off the Pacers bench.
Game 3 will tip off at 7 p.m. EDT Friday in Indianapolis. With a Game 3 victory, they could sweep the series Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Game 5, if necessary, will be Tuesday in New York. The series could extend to Sunday.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 21-year-old man was arrested and accused of raping a University of Indianapolis student on campus.
Police say the investigation began on Jan. 24 when University of Indianapolis Police received a call from a woman who said she believed she was drugged at a bar in downtown Indianapolis and then raped in her dorm room.
Court documents say she met Marwan Khalaf of Noblesville at the Metro Bar on Massachusetts Avenue and went back to her dorm room, where he repeatedly raped her. When she woke up one of the last times, he was gone.
According to court documents, she next went to shower and passed out again. She woke up in the shower at 7 a.m. Jan. 24 and called 911.
The student told investigators she had gone out alone on Jan. 23 and took an Uber to a few bars downtown before arriving at the Metro Bar at 12:51 a.m. Jan. 24. Court documents state that’s where she met Khalaf and they danced together.
Court documents say the bar refused to serve the student a drink because she was already intoxicated when she arrived. Khalaf then bought her a shot and they asked her to leave. She says Khalaf left with her and offered to take her home.
The student says she recalls his car being “parked directly across the street from Metro.” According to UIPD Detective Jay Arnold, the student’s identification card was used to enter the dorm at 2:13 a.m.
In an interview with detectives, Khalaf admitted to being at the bar and kissing her, but denied having sexual contact with the student. He told detectives he took care of her because she was drunk and said he left the dorm when it became light outside because his mother was calling him.
Khalaf has been charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual battery.
Indianapolis-area students speak on proposed ILEA changes
Students from both Shortridge High School and KIPP Indy Public Schools speak on the proposed models from the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance.
The signers of a recent statement by the African American Coalition of Indianapolis questioning who speaks for the Black community raise concerns about process while our students of color continue to be left behind in a public education system that offers too little opportunity and too few positive outcomes.
We agree that parents and students should be heard, which is why we’re troubled that our voices were overlooked during the public process led by the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance. We were present at nearly every ILEA meeting, sharing our personal experiences and asking leaders to take bold action, and we spent months discussing and researching ideas before offering a series of recommendations to improve schools in both IPS and the charter sector.
For many of us, speaking up to improve public education in our city goes back years. We have consistently focused on stronger accountability for all schools within IPS and on growing what works in communities that most need quality schools. So we have to ask: Did you not hear us? Or did you choose to ignore us because our opinions don’t align with yours? Are you now trying to diminish our voices by suggesting that our affiliation with certain organizations means we can’t think or speak for ourselves?
Let us be clear. Our advocacy is driven by our own experiences, and it is these perspectives that add value to the debate we’re having as a community. We live in neighborhoods that are directly impacted by the opportunity gap. It takes courage to advocate, and when voices like ours are attacked, it discourages others in our community from standing up and speaking out.
We strongly support IPS — many of us attended the district as children and have our own students there now. We also support a system of quality charter schools, and we will continue to advocate for both despite attempts to pit sectors against one another. While these recent words and claims are unfair and deeply hurtful, we remain dedicated to bringing voices together to solve problems.
It is time to stop the toxic politics of school type and focus on progress for children, especially Black and brown students who have been harmed by a tragic opportunity gap that has existed for generations. While House Bill 1423 is not perfect, we see it as the best opportunity in many years to hold all schools accountable for improved results, expand transportation and access across IPS, and move toward financial stability across the system.
You may disagree with us on the policy, and that is OK. But please do not dismiss our voices or discount our stories, which represent so many in IPS who simply want a high-quality, safe public school experience for their children.
LaToya Hale, Greg Henson, Dontia Dyson, Cristal Salgado and Swantella Nelson are Indianapolis parents.
WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Westfield officials say the historic Green Building will relocate as part of the 32Connects project, in partnership with Indiana Department of Transportation.
The move is set for 8 a.m. Thursday and move north from its current location, along State Road 32 near Union Street, up to near the Basile Westfield Playhouse.
Officials say in order to safely complete the move the intersection of Union Street and State Road 32 will be closed beginning at 4 a.m. Thursday.
The intersection will reopen by 5 p.m. and detours will be in place.
If the weather causes delays, the move will shift to Friday.
This story was written using a script that was aired on WISH-TV.
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