NBA Player News

The Sixers selected Lessort with the 50th overall pick in the 2017 draft. The plan has always been to stash him in Europe for a year or two. Lessort’s contract with KK Crvena Zvezda is reportedly for three years, but very likely has an NBA opt-out clause should the Sixers want to bring him stateside in 2018-19.

While the Knicks’ rally from a 20-point deficit had already begun, Nesmith rolling his right ankle during the third quarter was a critical turning point. The Pacers held a 70-57 lead at the time, and while they would push their advantage out to 15 later in the period, not having Nesmith on the court was impactful on both ends. Defensively, the Pacers missed their best perimeter defender, and there were also spacing issues as the Knicks locked down on the other end of the floor. Not having a capable catch-and-shoot option in Nesmith factored into Indiana blowing the lead. They still lead the series two games to one, and Nesmith did return during the fourth quarter. But his injury is something to watch in the lead-up to Tuesday’s Game 4.

Nearly unstoppable in the Pacers’ Game 2 victory on Friday, Siakam had to deal with a different matchup in Game 3. With the Knicks starting Mitchell Robinson instead of Josh Hart, Spicy P had to deal with more size offensively. While he did shoot 50 percent from the field, Siakam attempted a series-low 14 shots in Game 3 while matching his Game 1 point total. For Tuesday’s Game 4, he’ll likely aim to be more aggressive off the dribble, especially if the Knicks stick with the Robinson/Karl-Anthony Towns tandem in the frontcourt.

Again, McConnell gave the Pacers good minutes off the bench, but he did most of his damage during the first half. The veteran point guard shot 4-of-6 from the field in the first half, scoring 10 points to help the Pacers push their lead out to as much as 20. New York’s bench was superior after halftime, helping the visitors rally for the win despite Jalen Brunson sitting for a significant stretch due to foul trouble. After outscoring their Knicks counterparts by 14 and 10 points in the first two games, the Pacers were only a plus-5 in bench points in Game 3. McConnell and the other reserves will aim to improve in Tuesday’s Game 4.

Turner has shot 50 percent or better from the field in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals. He’s also recorded a complete stat line in each game, which has been good news for those competing in playoff fantasy leagues and DFS tournaments. The negative for Turner and the Pacers was that they failed to come up with an answer for Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Turner and the Pacers will look to rebound when they host Game 4 on Tuesday.

Haliburton and the Pacers were rolling during the first half, building up a lead that reached 20 points late in the second quarter. However, Indiana got a bit stagnant offensively, and New York’s 10-3 run to end the half kept the door cracked open. New York would grab control of the action during the fourth, as Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points, and Haliburton struggled to get his teammates in positions where they could be at their best. While his final stat line was solid, Tyrese can be much better than he was in Game 3. Indiana still leads the series two games to one, with Game 4 set for Tuesday.

While the final points tally may have been solid, Brunson did not have a good Game 3. Shooting 33.3 percent from the field, the Knicks’ point guard also picked up four fouls during the first half. While Brunson did not pick up his fifth until just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, New York was more cohesive when he was on the bench. The Knicks aren’t going to bench Brunson for Tuesday’s Game 4. But they’ll need him to be much better to even this series at two games apiece.

Anunoby was impactful on both ends of the floor Sunday night, but the shot volume may have been a bit low for a player making nearly 67 percent of his attempts. The Knicks wing had four defensive contributions in Game 3, including an emphatic block of an Aaron Nesmith jumper with 3:39 remaining in the fourth quarter and New York leading by four. Sunday’s victory was the latest example of Anunoby not needing to be an offensive focal point to impact the action. He’ll look to do the same in Game 4 on Tuesday.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau decided to make a lineup change on Sunday, replacing Josh Hart with Robinson. While the move would not be considered as the reason why New York won the game, both players were impactful in their new roles. Robinson recorded a complete stat line and provided a needed boost defensively, while Hart contributed eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal in 34 minutes off the bench. Given the outcome, it would be unsurprising if the Knicks stuck with the Game 3 starting lineup for Tuesday’s Game 4.

To say Towns played poorly in the first three quarters of Game 3 would be fair. He shot 2-of-8 from the field, scoring four points. The good news for the Knicks is that Towns flipped the switch in the final frame, scoring 20 points and shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Interestingly, most of his damage was done when Jalen Brunson was on the bench due to foul trouble. Towns made some history with this performance, becoming the fourth Knick in franchise history to account for at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a conference finals game. The other three players were Dave DeBusschere (four times), Willis Reed (twice) and Patrick Ewing (twice). Despite trailing by as much as 20, New York managed to pick up its first win in the series, and KAT had much to do with that. Game 4 is on Tuesday night.

For the first time this season, the Knicks have made a change to the starting lineup that did not involve an injury. Robinson will start, giving New York a superior defender and offensive rebounder, with Josh Hart heading to the bench. While Hart can still supply energy in the sixth-man role, New York will need better defense from its other starters, notably Karl-Anthony Towns.