NEW YORK — Tyrese Haliburton tied the score with a long jumper that bounced high off the back of the rim and in as time expired in regulation, then the Indiana Pacers went on to finish off their stunning rally by beating the New York Knicks, 138-135, on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks led by 14 points with less than 3 minutes remaining in regulation, but Aaron Nesmith brought the Pacers back with a flurry of late 3-pointers.
Haliburton then hoped he had won it with another. With the Pacers down two and time running down, he started to lose control of his dribble, regained it and dribbled back out toward the 3-point line. He fired up his jumper and when it finally fell in, he raced toward the sideline and made a choke signal to the crowd, like Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller did to Spike Lee while leading a Pacers comeback in a playoff game in 1994.
Replay confirmed that Haliburton’s toe was on the line, and it was a 2-pointer that tied it 125-125. Andrew Nembhard eventually made the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds remaining in OT.
Game 2 is Friday night.
