Bucks fail at Pacers
Brunson shines, Hartenstein bleeds, Knicks win
May 3, 2024, 6:54 a.m
The German center Isaiah Hartenstein is having the strongest NBA season of his career so far – and can continue it with his New York Knicks. After the decisive playoff win against the Philadelphia 76ers, the next opponent has already been decided.
With a bloody nose and another strong performance, basketball professional Isaiah Hartenstein moved into the next round of the NBA playoffs with the New York Knicks. At 118:115, the 25-year-old from Lower Saxony got his hand in the face from 76ers star Joel Embiid in the hard-fought final minutes – and subsequently a plug in his nose. With his 14 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, Hartenstein once again played a major role in a Knicks win this season. He and his team will now face the Indiana Pacers, who qualified for the semifinals of the Eastern Conference with a 120:98 series win against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The outstanding man in the Knicks jersey was once again Jalen Brunson with 41 points and 12 assists. For the 76ers, Embiid’s 39 points were not enough. Last season’s most valuable player was no longer allowed to be on the pitch in the final seconds because of his six fouls and was unable to avert his team’s defeat. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, even with the lead we had,” Brunson said on TNT: “Every game has gone like that. It doesn’t matter how you start – it’s just how you start it completed.” The previous three games had already seen some outstanding performances, including a franchise record (47 points) in game four. With eight seconds left, Brunson converted two free throws to make the final score.
For Indiana it is the first success in the playoffs in ten years. Obi Toppin came off the bench and was the Pacers’ best scorer with 21 points, while TJ McConnell also came off the bench with 20 points. “That means a lot,” McConnell said. “We haven’t been in the playoffs since the bubble and have been waiting to advance since 2014. We’re proud to have done it and extended our season.” In order to end the season during the initial phase of the corona pandemic, the NBA brought all teams into a sealed bubble in 2020 – the so-called bubble. The Bucks also lost in Indiana because exceptional player Giannis Antetokounmpo was once again unable to play. The Greek also missed the sixth game of the series, so the Pacers won 4-2.