Ben Stiller and 50 Cent sit courtside as the Knicks secure a dramatic Game 1 victory over the Pacers after a controversial call against Myles Turner.

Two controversial calls in the final seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers gave the home Knicks team the victory.

Jalen Brunson continued his postseason magic with 43 points for his fourth straight 40-point effort as the Knicks posted a 121-117 victory in front of a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd that included Ben Stiller and 50 Cent, among other celebrities. .

But a late kick-ball violation on Aaron Nesmith and a subsequent moving screen on Myles Turner doomed Indiana in a close game that went down to the wire.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half and Josh Hart added 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for New York. Isaiah Hartenstein scored 13 points and OG Anunoby added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks.

Myles Turner scored 23 points, Pascal Siakam added 19 and TJ McConnell scored 18 points for the Pacers. Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin each contributed 12 points and Andrew Nembhard scored 11 points.

Brunson dropped 43 points for the fourth consecutive playoff game and scored 40 points or more.

Celebrities in attendance – Top: Ben Stiller (L), 50 Cent (R) / Bottom: Rainn Wilson (L), Spike Lee (R)

Game two is Wednesday night in New York.

Brunson became the fourth player in NBA playoff history to score 40 or more points in four consecutive games. Jerry West reached that mark a record six consecutive times in 1965. Bernard King (1984) and Michael Jordan (1993) achieved it in four consecutive competitions.

With the game tied 115-115, officials called a kicked ball violation to Nesmith that on replay clearly hit the Pacers forward’s hand, not his foot. The referees after the match admitted that they had made a mistake.

DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer to give the Knicks a 118-115 lead with 40.4 seconds remaining.

Indiana got within one on Siakam’s layup with 26.6 seconds left.

The Pacers later had a chance to take the lead, but Turner was called for a moving screen with 12.7 seconds left. The Indiana center was taken aback by the decision.

Indiana made another mistake when Nembhard fouled Brunson before the ball went in. Brunson made the next free throw and New York maintained possession.

Brunson was fouled with 10.7 seconds left and made two free throws to give New York a 121-117 lead, and the Knicks closed out the scoring.

A controversial call at the end involved a foul for a moving pick against Myles Turner (33)

After the game ended, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle addressed the illegal screen call on Turner.

‘I don’t want to talk about refereeing. We don’t expect to receive calls here. It would be nice if they fired him, but they didn’t.

-So are the things. We challenge him. They checked. They have a group of people in New Jersey who agree with them, so that’s how things work.

Turner addressed both calls when speaking to the media: “I think it’s better when the players decide the outcome of the game.”

‘I think we’re all looking forward to the Last 2 Minutes Report coming out. I think there were 2 controversial calls. Aaron Nesmith’s shot was not a shot. “It is clearly seen in the replay.”

Social media reaction to Turner’s foul favored the Pacers, even though officials reviewed the decision and then stood by it.

The reaction of social networks to that foul favored the case of Turner and the Pacers

‘Wow, that whistle about Myles Turner. Awful. Let them play referees,” wrote Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports.

“(Golden State) built a dynasty pass blocking, but Myles Turner didn’t sit still for 5 seconds on the screen in the biggest moment of the game and it’s a snap decision,” joked NBA TikTok influencer JokicJoestar.

Fox Sports’ Kevin Wildes also weighed in, saying, “I’m rooting for the Knicks, but it’s a horrible decision for Myles Turner.”

“Myles Turner was moving, but that’s an insane INSTANT WHISTLE in that situation,” wrote former Barstool Sports VP Steven Cheah.