Knicks' DiVincenzo on midgame scuffle: Turner's not a 'tough guy'
New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo got into it with Myles Turner after fouling the Indiana Pacers big man during a sequence midway through the third quarter of Tuesday's Game 5 clash.
Turner didn't take too kindly to the contact from DiVincenzo, prompting a verbal altercation between the two players. Officials and teammates from both sides stepped in to prevent the incident from escalating further.
Both Turner and DiVincenzo were assessed technical fouls on the play.
Donte DiVincenzo dunks on the Pacers then gets into it with Myles Turner pic.twitter.com/evmuNWWO6Y
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 15, 2024
Tempers also flared earlier in the contest, when Pacers center Isaiah Jackson and Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein went chest-to-chest after a hard screen was set on DiVincenzo.
Things getting chippy between the Knicks & Pacers 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 15, 2024
Isaiah Jackson, Alec Burks and Isaiah Hartenstein were hit with technical fouls following the altercation.pic.twitter.com/hUJFpyusTD
Following the matchup, DiVincenzo called out Turner and the Pacers for their behavior.
"They were trying to be tough guys," DiVincenzo told reporters postgame, per SNY. "That's not their identity ... Nobody's gonna fight in the NBA. So take the foul. Keep it moving. You're not a tough guy, just keep it moving."
DiVincenzo and the Knicks got the last laugh, winning Tuesday's tilt 121-91 to take a 3-2 series lead.
New York can advance to its first conference finals in 24 years with a victory Friday in Indiana.