Hollywood star’s hilarious reaction to miracle; booed champ’s perfect response to $100k brain snap: NBA Playoffs Wrap

A miracle three-pointer from Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard delivered the Pacers a much-needed win over the New York Knicks in recreation three of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Down 2-0 within the sequence and down as many as 10 factors within the fourth quarter, the Pacers fought again to steer late within the piece, earlier than a Jalen Brunson triple tied the factors with 41.1 seconds to play.

Tyrese Haliburton missed a 3 after which was carefully double-teamed as he regained possession. He handed to Nembhard, who had been ice-cold in taking pictures all night time.

But with the shot clock expiring and underneath defensive strain, Nembhard launched a hail mary from 31 toes that by some means went in – with even his teammates and Nembhard himself wanting shocked.

It was the longest made three of his profession, and simply his third of the sequence.

“I probably held the ball a little too long, I should have been more aggressive,” Haliburton stated. “I put (Nembhard) in kind of a bad situation and he just made an unbelievable shot — big, big shot.

“He really stepped up to the moment when we needed him most.”

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Brunson failed to seek out the basket with a determined three-pointer of his personal earlier than the Pacers held on to cut back their sequence deficit to 2-1 on their return to house court docket.

“Everybody knows what it looks like when you go down 3-0,” Haliburton stated, a nod to the truth that no NBA staff has rallied from that deficit to win a playoff sequence.

“We had to come out play desperate, play hard,” added Haliburton, whose Pacers will now attempt to stage the sequence at house on Sunday.

Nembhard completed with simply 5 factors on two-of-eight taking pictures – however his three-pointer on the dying meant his terrible recreation as much as that time was instantly forgotten.

Teammate Tyrese Haliburton led the way in which with 35 factors on 14-of-26 taking pictures and added seven assists. Myles Turner had 26 factors and 10 rebounds, whereas Pascal Siakam had 26 factors and 7 boards.

Donte DiVicenzo matched Haliburton with 35 factors of his personal for the Knicks with a exceptional 7-of-11 from three-point vary, whereas Brunson had 26 factors. Josh Hart had 10 factors and 18 rebounds.

Hollywood star and Knicks fanatic Ben Stiller had a hilarious response to the gutting defeat.

First, he tweeted: “We won’t cry.” Then when a fan responded with an image of him crying – from considered one of his many movies – Stiller replied: “Ok maybe a little”.

The transfer to Indianapolis — and the dedication to keep away from falling into an 0-3 gap — clearly energized the Pacers, who stored the banged-up Knicks in test early.

Haliburton had six of the Pacers’ 12 three-pointers.

The Knicks, already lacking Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic, have been additionally with out OG Anunoby after he suffered a hamstring pressure of their recreation two victory.

Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who wasn’t confirmed to start out till after pre-game warm-ups after hurting his proper foot on Wednesday, received off to a sluggish begin, however New York briefly pulled forward within the second quarter — foreshadowing a third-quarter surge that noticed them take a 90-85 lead into the ultimate interval.

But the Knicks couldn’t cling on and the Pacers will attempt to stage the sequence at house.

NUGGETS STAR ANSWERS BACK AFTER $100K FINE

Elsewhere, the NBA champion Denver Nuggets roared again into their Western Conference semi-final sequence with Minnesota with a 117-90 victory over the Timberwolves.

NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 24 factors apiece, with Jokic including 14 rebounds and 9 assists for the Nuggets, who reduce the deficit of their best-of-seven sequence to 2-1.

Denver dispelled any suggestion they’d bow out quietly after they have been humbled by the younger Timberwolves in video games one and two in Denver.

Denver will attempt to pull stage in Minneapolis, the place Jokic stated the Nuggets went into the competition decided to “play like a champion.”

“I think we played much simpler,” Jokic instructed broadcaster ESPN.

“We were aggressive, more aggressive than them, and I think that’s definitely the thing that changed the game.”

Murray, who scored simply 25 factors over the primary two video games and was fined $100,000 for letting his frustration boil over and throwing a heating pad onto the court docket throughout recreation two, related on 11 of 21 pictures and got here up with three steals.

That was regardless of being booed each time he touched the ball by the Minneapolis crowd.

“Our guys answered the bell,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated.

“They showed me that they still believe.”

Michael Porter Jr. added 21 factors as all 5 Nuggets starters scored in double figures in opposition to a T’Woves staff that coach Chris Finch referred to as “sluggish” and “slow”.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 19 factors. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 14, however the Timberwolves didn’t play with the tempo that overwhelmed the Nuggets in Denver.

They trailed by as many as 34 factors, to the dismay of followers on the Target Center who have been desirous to see the type of present the Timberwolves had placed on in Denver.

“Not a lot of good things on either end of the floor, really,” Finch stated.