In the second game of Sunday’s pair of Game 7s in the NBA, a former member of the Golden State Warriors was on the floor with a chance to punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference finals.
After the Indiana Pacers blasted the New York Knicks in Game 6 to force a Game 7, the series shifted back to Madison Square Garden for a win-or-go-home contest on Sunday.
With multiple players dealing with injuries, including All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo took over for the Knicks. The former Villanova standout notched a game-high 39 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor with a red-hot nine-made 3-pointers. DiVincenzo added four rebounds, two steals and an assist in 41 minutes against the Pacers.
Despite DiVincenzo’s explosive performance, the short-handed Knicks couldn’t keep pace with the Pacers on Sunday in Game 7. All five members of Indiana’s starting lineup tallied 17 or more points. Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting in Game 7.
Behind Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembard, the Pacers secured a spot in the Eastern Conference finals with a 130-109 win over the Knicks on Sunday. The Pacers will meet the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.
DiVincenzo exploded in the postseason, scoring in double figures seven times, including two games with over 30 points. In his first regular-season with the Knicks, DiVincenzo averaged 15.5 points on 44.3% shooting from the field to go along with 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
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