In a thrilling Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday evening, the Indiana Pacers pulled off a narrow win against the New York Knicks 138–135 in overtime at Madison Square Garden in New York City, taking a 1–0 series lead.
Both teams showed strong offense throughout the game. Knicks star player Jalen Brunson led his team with an impressive 43 points, while center Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 35 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and 11 assists, while Aaron Nesmith added 30 points, including six three-pointers during overtime. Obi Toppin delivered a pivotal dunk that helped seal their victory.
Jade Jones, the girlfriend of Haliburton, reposted the official announcement of the Pacers’ win on her Instagram story minutes after Game 1 ended with the caption “WWWWWWW.”
The couple has been together since their college days at Iowa State, where he played basketball and she was a cheerleader. Since then, Jones has been a constant presence at his games, including tonight’s Pacers playoff win over the Knicks, and continues to be one of Haliburton’s most vocal supporters.
The point guard’s performance was important in the Pacers’ victory over the Knicks. But his most pivotal moment came at the end of the fourth quarter when he sank a high-arcing jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 125, forcing the game to go into overtime.
During overtime, the Pacers edged out the Knicks 13–10, with Andrew Nembhard shooting a three-pointer that put Indiana ahead for good.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals will take place on Friday at Madison Square Garden again at 8 p.m. ET.