March 28, 2024

NBA Capsules

KNICKS 105, PACERS 79

NEW YORK (AP) — Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points, 16 during a 30-2 New York onslaught in the second half, the Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 105-79 on Tuesday night to even the Eastern Conference semifinals at one game.

Iman Shumpert added 15 points, including a sensational follow dunk in the first half, and Raymond Felton scored 14 as the Knicks turned a close game into a blowout over the final 15 minutes.

Paul George scored 20 points for the Pacers, who had a two-point lead and momentum when coach Frank Vogel called timeout with a little more than 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

By the time the Pacers got on the board in the final period, the Knicks had opened a 26-point advantage.

Game 3 is Saturday at Indianapolis.

David West scored 13 points for the Pacers, who committed 21 turnovers that led to 32 points, negating their height advantage that loomed so large in their Game 1 victory.

GRIZZLIES 99, THUNDER 93

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Mike Conley scored 26 points, Marc Gasol added 24 points and Memphis used a late run to beat Oklahoma City and even the Western Conference semifinals at one game.

Conley hit a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:58 left to put the Grizzlies ahead to stay and spark a string of 10 straight points for the Grizzlies.

He added an 18-foot jumper to stretch the lead to 94-90, then hit one of two free throws with 29.4 seconds left.

After hitting the key baskets in Game 1, Kevin Durant couldn’t provide an answer for the Thunder. He missed his last three shots, including a pair of 3-point attempts, and finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

The Thunder caught a break when Tony Allen tipped the ball away and Conley saved it from going out of bounds, only for it to end up in Durant’s hands in the corner. But Durant was off-target on a 3-pointer, and Oklahoma City was forced to foul.

Zach Randolph tacked on two free throws, and Allen then stole the ball from Durant and provided the finishing touches with a dunk. Derek Fisher hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer for Oklahoma City.

Game 3 is Saturday in Memphis.