Jalen Brunson suffers fractured hand as the Pacers DOMINATE Game 7 on a disastrous day for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden
- Jalen Brunson suffered a broken hand when the Knicks lost to the Pacers on Sunday
- Tyrese Haliburton’s shooting helped Indian reach the Eastern Conference finals
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Jalen Brunson suffered a broken hand and was knocked out in the fourth quarter as the Indiana Pacers dominated the New York Knicks 130-109 in Game 7 on Sunday.
The Pacers were ruthless from the start and Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating shooting took them to the Eastern Conference finals, where they will play the Boston Celtics.
Replays showed Brunson suffered a thumb injury when he tried to knock the ball out of Haliburton’s hand as he jumped to shoot.
It was the latest in a long line of injuries for the depleted Knicks – who also had OG Anunoby and Josh Hart dealing with issues while Mitchell Robinson, Bojan Bogdanovic and Julius Randle were all out.
Haliburton scored 26 points as the Pacers pulled off one of the most sensational first halves in Game 7 history, taking the sting out of a fervent home crowd.
Jalen Brunson suffered a broken hand as the Indiana Pacers dominated the New York Knicks
Tyrese Haliburton’s devastating shooting propelled the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals
Haliburton scored 26 points as the Pacers produced a sensational first half in New York City
The Pacers made 29 of their 38 shots in the first half, a shooting percentage of 76.3 percent, the highest in the postseason since 1997, when the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters.
They led 70-55 at the time and pulled away every time the Knicks tried to score in the second half.
Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard each scored 20 points and Aaron Nesmith was 8 for 8 en route to his 19 for the Pacers.
Indiana last reached the conference finals in 2014, losing to Miami.
Donte DiVincenzo made nine 3-pointers and scored 39 points for the Knicks, who were trying to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
Brunson finished with 17 points and nine assists and shot 6 for 17 after scoring 40 or more points five times this postseason. Alec Burks came off the bench for 26 points.