In Game One of the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, the New York Knicks were heavily favored to defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers.
They got off on the right foot, disrupting the Pacers’ offense and finishing the first quarter with a narrow 27-24 lead. In the second quarter, the Hoosiers crept ahead, outrebounding and outscoring the Knicks for a 55-49 advantage. In the second half, the Knicks overtook the visitors for a brief lead, but the Pacers retaliated thanks to contributions from their reserves (TJ McConnell, Isaiah Jackson, and, yes, Obi Toppin) and rode a lead into the fourth quarter.