17 rebounds for Isaiah Hartenstein are a top figure in the NBA. With the Knicks, the player from Lower Saxony gets his third win against the Pacers – the Eastern Conference Finals are within reach
The New York Knicks are just one win away from reaching the NBA Conference Finals. The team led by Isaiah Hartenstein from Lower Saxony won 121:91 against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday evening and now leads the series 3:2 after wins. Hartenstein excelled with 17 rebounds – twelve of them alone at the board (!) – and also had seven points and five assists for the Knicks, who took the lead from the visitors in the first quarter and then never trailed again. Hartenstein’s team-mate Jalen Brunson was once again the best man on the floor, scoring 44 points. The Pacers’ best scorer was Pascal Siakam with 22 points.
Although the home side led by at least ten points for long stretches, there was plenty of fire in the game. Hartenstein was one of the players who was penalized with a technical foul after a scuffle. The 26-year-old once again showed his enormous value to the Knicks, who clearly dominated their opponents at the board. The center has never played for the German national team and does not expect to be nominated for the Olympic Games.
Game six on Saturday – Nuggets take the lead thanks to MVP Jokic
Game six of the series will be played in Indianapolis on Saturday night. The Knicks have not been in the Eastern Conference Finals series since 2000. They would face the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics are 3:1 ahead after wins.
The defending champions Denver Nuggets took a 3:2 lead in the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and are on the verge of advancing to the next round after their third win in a row. Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic, who was honored with the Michael Jordan Award as MVP for the third time in his career before the game, excelled with 40 points and 13 assists in what was ultimately a clear 112:97 victory – the first home win in this encounter – and played a major part in the Nuggets’ home win.
The champions kept T-Wolves protagonist Anthony Edwards in particular in check this time and only scored 18 points (five from the field). Nuggets coach Michael Malone praised Jokic in particular after the game: “He did everything for us and it was fun to watch him do it.” Game six is back in Minneapolis
