Knicks lose Game 3 thriller after Pacers pull ahead in final seconds on Andrew Nembhard’s prayer
INDIANAPOLIS — In the most pivotal possession, the Knicks were beaten by a prayer.
Andrew Nembhard, the most unlikeliest of clutch shooters, buried his step-back contested 30-foot trey with the shot clock dwindling, the ball coming loose from his hands on the gather and 16.4 seconds remaining. It became the final go-ahead bucket for Indiana after Jalen Brunson, struggling all evening and clearly hobbled by his sore foot, bricked the potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of the Knicks’ 111-106 loss Friday night in Game 3 against the Pacers.
“I could’ve closed out a little better,” said Brunson, who was the closest defender to Nembhard. “But he was so far away and bobbled the ball a little bit and the ball went in.
“Great shot.”
Until that massive trey, Nembhard had just 2 points on 1 of 7 shooting in 30 minutes. But the Knicks left themselves vulnerable by allowing an offensive rebound on that critical possession — one of 13 grabbed by the Pacers on Friday — and eventually a bottle will catch lightning.
Brunson also wasn’t happy with the next possession, which was his off-balance 3-point attempt with 12 seconds left. He was anticipating a foul from the Pacers that either never arrived or was never called, depending on the vantage point.
Brunson’s shot wasn’t close. Aaron Nesmith then iced the Indiana victory on the foul line.
“I knew everything that was going on,” Brunson said. “I just made a terrible decision.”
The Knicks still lead the series 2-1 heading into Sunday’s game in Indy. But they’re in a precarious situation because of the injuries. And they flubbed a chance to bury the Pacers since no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 series deficit.
“We were right there,” Donte DiVincenzo said. “We can’t harp on the officiating or doing anything like that. We could be better. And whoever’s out there, whoever is out on the floor, you can’t let it fall into the 50/50 calls. We had a nine- or 10-point lead, something like that. I think collectively we just have to be better. But like I said this morning, whatever five is on the court we’re going to win the game every single time we step out on the court. That’s my mindset.”
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Depleted beyond reasonable expectation of overcoming and Brunson not close to himself, the Knicks still led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter. DiVincenzo caught fire from beyond the arc, dropping a playoff career-high 35 points on seven treys.
But the Knicks were down bad on bodies and the margin of error was small enough for a Nembhard 3-pointer to be the difference. OG Anunoby missed his first game with a strained hamstring, an injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s Game 4 and maybe longer. Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic are all out for the playoffs.
Brunson started but clearly wasn’t 100 percent after his foot injury in Game 2. He was listed as questionable before the game, warmed up without a setback, but was laboring from the opening minute. He finished with 26 points — his lowest output of the playoffs — while shooting 10-for-26.
“If I could walk, I was going to play,” Brunson said.
Given the understaffed nature of the roster, there could’ve been an argument to punt the game, rest Brunson and regroup for a healthier potential Game 4.
DiVincenzo scoffed at the idea.
“Hell no, you can stop there,” the Knicks starting shooting guard said beforehand. “We ain’t punting nothing. We’re coming in here to win the game.”
So the Knicks gave it their best and came up just a little short, getting heavy minutes from Josh Hart (43 minutes, 18 rebounds), DiVincenzo (44 minutes) and Isaiah Hartenstein (38).
Now Game 4 is much bigger than a chance to sweep. It’s to remain in control of the series.
“We’ve got to do better,” Tom Thibodeau said. “Every game we play, you look at it the same way. Whether you win or lose, you look at the things we have to fix. And we have to fix them quick.”
