The Indiana Pacers eked out a 111-106 win over the New York Knicks in Game 3 after the away team scored just 16 points in the fourth quarter. Apart from the backcourt pairing, Donte DiVincenzo and their Ace Jalen Brunson, who added 35 and 25 points, respectively, the team was bereft of sizeable offensive contributions from their starters. Needless to say, they missed a major defensive weapon in OG Anunoby.
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Coach Tom Thibodeau had to put Precious Achiuwa in the starting lineup because OG was unavailable due to a hamstring issue. In discouraging news, as per the latest injury report, he has been listed as ‘Out’ again. He joins Bojan Bogdanovic, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson on the list of unavailable players, which further complicates things for coach Thibodeau.
Jalen Brunson is not playing around — not on the injury report for Game 4. As you'd expect OG is out. pic.twitter.com/APJSvlutQ7
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) May 11, 2024
He has been a huge factor during the 2024 playoffs as his incredible rebounding and defensive abilities have helped the Knicks to stave off squads with much more length than them. Apart from that, OG is the only viable shot-creator outside of Jalen Brunson and their already thinned-down offensive lineup suffered without him in Game 3. Will Anunoby’s non-availability open up a window for the Pacers?
The Pacers are doing a great job offensively
The Knicks have been unable to hold the Pacers offense and have allowed them to score in the 111-121 points range thus far. After an on-and-off first-round series against the Bucks, Tyrese Haliburton has rediscovered his shooting form. He has now dipped in 30+ points in two straight games, which is a dangerous sign for the Knicks’ defense especially without OG Anunoby.
Apart from Hali, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner have regularly contributed big offensive nights and the Pacers clearly have more offensive depth than the Knicks. However, Knicks HC Thibodeau has shown tremendous ability to bring the best of his existing lineups. When Randle went down, he employed impressive strategies to cover the loss.
Jalen Brunson and Co. have exceeded their abilities under their strict HC and it will not be a surprise if they come up with a big-time adjustment in Game 4. However, they certainly need a better defensive effort to take a decisive 3-1 lead in the series.
