Tuesday night brought two more NBA Playoff games. In the east, Indiana took a commanding 3-1 lead in their series with New York. Over in the west, the San Antonio Spurs are now up 3-2 over the Golden State Warriors after a convincing win. Here’s a recap of the night’s action on the hardwood.
Knicks’ offense cold in 93-82 loss to Pacers
The Indiana Pacers hold a commanding 3-1 lead over the New York Knicks in their series after a 93-82 win at home. The story of the game was the frigid shooting of New York.
The Knicks shot only 35% from the field on the night in Game 4. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith were the biggest offenders, combining for 16-45. Iman Shumpert added a goose egg, going 0-6 from the field and missing five three-point shots. The other problem for New York? Indiana had 30 free throw attempts to only 14 for the Knicks. New York was frustrated all night long and plagued by silly fouls as Indiana shot more than twice their amount of free throws. Anthony fouled out and four other Knicks had four fouls apiece.
The Pacers have been nothing short of dominant at home in the postseason. Indiana is not only a perfect 5-0, but has won each game by double digits in Indianapolis.
The Knicks regrouped a bit in the second half, but by then the damage had been done. New York scored only 34 points in the first half and was down by 14 at the break. Save for a 14-14 tie in the first quarter, the Pacers led the entire game.
Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points and nine rebounds in the loss. Meanwhile, five Indiana players scored in double figures, including George Hill, who had 26. But it was Paul George who was the player of the game. The rising star nearly had a triple double with 18 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
Game 5 will be in Madison Square Garden on Thursday as New York looks to extend the series.
San Antonio Spurs defeat Golden State Warriors, 109-91
When the San Antonio Spurs lost home court advantage to the Golden State Warriors last week, the team could have easily panicked. That’s particularly true when you consider the fact that only a miracle finish spared them from an 0-2 series deficit. But with a 109-91 win in the pivotal Game 5, the Spurs are now back in control of the series and only a game away from reaching the conference finals.
For San Antonio, the key was keeping Golden State’s excellent backcourt in check. The duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson was largely ineffective, shooting only 6-22 from the field. The two averaged nearly 40 points per game this season, but had only 13 on the night. Just as bad, neither attempted a single free throw and Curry was 1-7 from three-point range. Curry, by the way, appeared a bit hobbled by his latest ankle injury and clearly wasn’t the same.
It’s not rocket science – the Warriors are a very average team when the two are struggling. A third guard, Jarrett Jack, has been thriving off the bench this postseason, but that’s really not enough. With All-star forward David Lee extremely limited in his effectiveness due to the hip injury, the Warriors are already playing at a disadvantage.
Harrison Barnes led Golden State in defeat with 25 points and seven boards.
For the Spurs, it was business as usual. The team will have two chances to advance to the Western Conference Finals yet again and won the game on the backs of their veterans. Tony Parker led the team with 25 points and ten assists while Tim Duncan supplied 14 points and 11 rebounds. Reserve guard Manu Ginobili gave San Antonio ten points, five rebounds, and five assists off the bench.
The Spurs had one of their best shooting games in the playoffs, connecting on nearly 52% of their shots. And behind 3-4 shooting from Kawhi Leonard, the team made just under 50% of their three-point attempts.
The series moves back to Oakland for Game 6 on Thursday.
