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Philippines, 30 May 2025 |
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Indiana Pushes New York on the Edge, Wins Game Four, 130-121 for 3-1 Lead By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Wed, 28 May 2025  Indiana came within one win of the NBA Finals, holding off the New York Knicks in Game Four, 130-121, for a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Final series. Tyrese Haliburton, who was notably absent in the crucial moments of Indiana's 126-120 Game Three defeat to New York, made his presence felt throughout all 38 minutes he was on the floor. He scored 32 points, pulled down 12 rebounds, and issued 15 assists, all team highs, as he propelled the Pacers to victory. What's more significant, Haliburton registered that triple-double performance without committing a single turnover—only the second NBA player to have done so since the league began compiling such statistics. Haliburton might be the biggest hero for Indiana, but there were other Pacers who figured prominently in the win. There's Pascal Siakam, who proved to be a big headache for New York all game long due to his uncanny ability to play the post and the periphery against equally big and small defenders. It was Siakam who converted many of Haliburton's assists into baskets, compiling 30 points in the process. Then there's Bennedict Mathurin, who magnificently redeemed himself from being among those faulted in the loss against the Knicks by optimizing all the minutes he was sent on the floor and finishing with 20 points in just 12 minutes of playing time. Mathurin likewise used his big, wide body in troubling Jalen Brunson in his drives through the paint. But by and large, it was truly Haliburton who set and controlled the pace, which the Knicks struggled to match, resulting in New York being relegated to the team that had to catch up almost from the first quarter. To New York's credit, despite lagging behind, the Knicks still kept the margin at a manageable level with Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, O.G. Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges producing their usual outputs. Josh Hart did not score much but, as usual, was dependable in rebounding and in putting his body up against bigger adversaries like Siakam and Obi Toppin. However, big man Mitchell Robinson was not able to affect Indiana's offense as much as he did in Game Three, as Indiana's better spacing and Haliburton's court generalship and superb shooting negated his presence. Haliburton capably took care of the ball, precluding any turnover through steals or errors. The only time he let go of the ball was when he was shooting it or deftly passing it to his teammates for open looks at or routes to the basket. Supporting Haliburton, Siakam, and Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner contributed 16 points and 13 points, respectively, for Indiana. Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points. Towns had 23 points plus 12 rebounds. Anunoby added 17 points. Hart had 12 points but grabbed 11 boards. Indiana returns to New York for Game 5 hoping for the clincher. In the history of the professional league, 183 teams enjoying a 3-1 lead have gone on to win the series. Only 13 teams have been able to come back from a 3-1 deficit. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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