Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns teamed up to score 56 points, helping the New York Knicks stay in the NBA playoffs with a 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. The Knicks, who were down 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, bounced back strongly at Madison Square Garden. The team led from start to finish and now forces a game six in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Brunson led the way with 32 points, including four three-pointers, once again proving to be New York’s key player. Towns, who had been doubtful due to a knee injury in game four, played an important role too, adding 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Speaking to TNT after the game, Brunson said, “We got early stops and turned them into points. We just found a way to win. We played to our standards and showed what Knicks basketball is all about.”
Towns also shared his determination to play, saying, “It was a must-win game—nothing was going to stop me from being on the court.”
Brunson gave the Knicks a strong start, scoring 14 points in the first quarter and helping the team build a 23-13 lead early in the game.
Indiana managed to reduce the gap to 27-23 by the end of the first quarter, but the Knicks kept control of the game. Their quick fast breaks troubled Indiana and stopped Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton from making an impact.
A Bad Start, But Not the End
New York was ahead 56-45 at halftime, and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton had only scored four points by then. He ended the game with just eight points—his lowest of the series—making only two of his seven shots.
In the first game of the series, the Pacers made a surprising comeback in New York, erasing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to win. So when Indiana cut a 20-point deficit down to just 10 points in the third quarter of this game, it looked like another comeback might happen.
But the Knicks pulled themselves together, extended their lead again, and held on to win. This victory keeps their playoff hopes alive.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the team’s slow start was the reason they couldn’t compete. It was the first time in the series that Indiana scored less than 100 points.
“We didn’t play with the energy we needed,” Carlisle said. “We lost in rebounds, turnovers, and our shooting was poor. The Knicks deserve credit, but we need to improve. We didn’t start the game with the right mindset. It was a poor beginning. We were always behind and couldn’t catch up. We had some good moments, but not enough.”
With this loss, the Pacers must win their next game at home on Saturday to avoid a final game seven in New York next Monday.