NBA: Knicks hit first in East semifinal while Timberwolves open gap in West

(AFP/VOZMEDIA) The New York Knicks won (121-117) in the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers. In the West, thanks to an impressive defense that managed to hold the current champions at 80 points, the Timberwolves made it 2-0 in their tie against the Nuggets will have the home court advantage as they seek to close out the series this weekend.

Knicks 121 - Pacers 117

In a fast-paced game at Madison Square Garden, Jalen Brunson became the hero of the game with a spectacular fourth quarter. The point guard finished with 43 points (21 only in the final half), six rebounds and six assists to lead his team to the first victory of the four necessary to advance to the Conference final. This is the fourth consecutive playoff game in which the Knicks star managed to surpass 40 points, and he becomes the first man to surpass 40 points and 5 assists in four consecutive playoff games.

Brunson was well accompanied by Donte DiVincenzo, who scored 25 points, and Josh Hart, who shone with 24 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block. For the Pacers, Myles Turner contributed 23 points, while Pascal Siakam added 19. The second game of this series will also be at the iconic New York venue on Wednesday.

The match was decided during some intense final minutes, in which the team from the Big Apple managed to turnaround a 9-point deficit. The equality from then on was maximum, until with 40 seconds left, DiVincenzo hit a triple to put New York ahead 118-115. Indiana got back within one (118-117), but a tough offensive foul called against Turner on DiVincenzo with 13 seconds left proved decisive, ceding possession to New York and allowing the hosts to seal the victory.

Nuggets 80 - Timberwolves 106

In Denver, the Timberwolves surprised the defending champions to go 2-0 in the West semifinal. The defense of Chris Finch's team was key to stopping the locals, who could not exceed 80 points with their star, the Serbian Nikola Jokic, registering 16 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists.

Karl Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards combined for 54 points, 27 each, to lead Minnesota, which had 14 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and another 14 from Naz Reid, both coming off the bench. Towns also had twelve rebounds and one assist in 36 minutes, while Kyle Anderson added nine rebounds and eight assists in 26 minutes for Minnesota, which went into halftime with a 26-point lead (61-35).

In this way, the Timberwolves are two games away from qualifying for the conference finals, and they will have the home court advantage for it, so they could qualify this weekend at home if they achieve victory on Friday and Sunday in the third and fourth games.