Defiant Knicks keep season alive with Game 5 win over Pacers in East finals
The Madison Square Garden crowd had waited all week for a spark. On Thursday night, they got a firestorm. With their season dangling by a thread, the New York Knicks delivered a wire-to-wire 111–94 beatdown of the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, keeping their playoff hopes alive and forcing a Game 6 in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Jalen Brunson scored 32 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds – despite a bruised left knee that had left his status uncertain until shortly before tipoff – as the Knicks trimmed the Pacers' lead to 3–2 in the best-of-seven-games series and gave their home fans something to believe in.
'It was do or die,' Towns said. 'Nothing was going to stop me from playing this game.' Brunson, held in check during a blowout loss in Game 4, bounced back in familiar fashion. He dropped 14 points in the first quarter alone, finishing 12-of-18 from the field and adding four assists in his 21st career playoff game with 30 or more points, extending a Knicks franchise record he set last week.
'We were just able to get stops early and we would convert,' Brunson said. 'We just found a way.' New York never trailed, flipping the script after a week of frustration that had included two home losses, one unprecedented collapse and a series deficit that left them staring down elimination. But the Game 5 version of the Knicks looked far more like the team that had been among the class of the East all year: tough, urgent, together.
The defense set the tone early. After surrendering 43 points in the first quarter of Game 4, the Knicks gave up just 23 in the opening frame Thursday and held Indiana to 45 at the intermission. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers' star playmaker who had posted a 30-point triple-double two nights earlier, was held to just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting with six assists.
'He didn't get the same looks,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'Give their defense credit. They had a lot to do with that.' Indiana's other weapons couldn't make up the difference. Bennedict Mathurin led the team with 23 points off the bench, but the Pacers as a whole struggled to find their rhythm. Game 2 hero Pascal Siakam had 15. Obi Toppin added 11. As a team, they shot just 40.5% from the field and coughed up 19 turnovers.
'We didn't play with the level of force that we needed to,' Carlisle said. 'To start the game, we didn't have the right level of attitude necessary in this environment. It was a bad start.' It was also the first time in these playoffs Indiana, who came in with a six-game road win streak, had been held under 100 points. After taking a 3-1 series lead on Tuesday's behind Haliburton's latest masterclass, the Pacers had looked like a team on the cusp of their second ever NBA finals appearance. But on Thursday, they looked rattled from the jump and New York took complete advantage.
Brunson keyed a 23–13 start in the first quarter, and when the Pacers briefly cut the deficit to four, the Knicks responded with a 14–2 second-quarter run to stretch their lead to 48–34. Towns, who scored 12 points in the period, helped New York take a 56–45 lead into half-time.
In the third, the Knicks poured it on. Brunson scored their first eight points of the quarter to build a 20-point cushion. Though Indiana briefly clawed back to within 10, a 12–0 New York run – capped by a Brunson four-point play and a Miles McBride jumper – restored order. By the time the fourth quarter began, the Knicks were up 90–73.
From there, the Garden crowd could begin to dream in full throat. Fans chanted 'Knicks in seven! Knicks in seven!' as the home team closed the show, leading by as many as 20 and never letting Indiana seriously threaten down the stretch.
Josh Hart finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges added 11 and 12 points respectively. More than just scoring, though, it was the Knicks' collective urgency and defensive cohesion that defined Game 5.
'We played to our standards,' Brunson said. 'That's what it's going to take.' With Thursday's win, the Knicks extended their first trip to the conference finals since 2000 and moved one step closer to history. Only 13 teams in NBA history have overturned a 3–1 series deficit, with none having done it in a conference finals after losing the first two games at home.
Game 6 will be played Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Pacers will have another chance to clinch their first NBA finals berth since 2000, when they bowed to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. But if the Knicks can replicate Thursday's effort, they will bring it back to the Garden for a winner-take-all Game 7 that few would have imagined just days ago.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
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NBA: After Knicks' Game 5 rout, pressure shifts to Pacers for Game 6
The New York Knicks responded with their backs to the wall and now are focused on forcing a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. Suddenly, the Indiana Pacers are the team facing more pressure entering the pivotal Game 6 on Saturday night in Indianapolis. Indiana holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. However, clinching a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 will be a much easier endeavor in front of the home fans. Game 7, if needed, would be in New York. "We understand what the stakes are," Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. "We're fine. There's no need to panic or anything." The third-seeded Knicks were clearly the better team in Thursday's 111-94 home victory. New York never trailed, shut down Haliburton, dominated the interior and forced 20 turnovers to deliver a convincing victory. Jalen Brunson had 32 points, five rebounds and five assists and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds. Towns thrived while playing with an ailing left knee. "This team is special," Towns said. "In this series, we haven't been able to close out games we wanted to. We've had moments of brilliance and (Thursday) we showed the world how special we are." New York's task of evening the series will be much easier if it can once again slow Haliburton, the leader of the fourth-seeded Pacers. Haliburton delivered a performance for the ages in Game 4 when he had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover, the first time a player achieved a 30-15-10-0 stat line in NBA postseason history. He also made five 3-pointers and had four steals in the 130-121 home triumph. But Game 5 was a totally different experience for Haliburton. New York hounded him from the outset and mixed its defenders to keep the Indiana star off-balance. Haliburton had just eight points, six assists and two rebounds. He took just seven shots, sinking two. "As a team, we need to have a level of balance," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'll look at it. There are more things I need to do to help him. I will take responsibility for that and we'll see where we can improve." New York's Mikal Bridges fueled the defensive charge but had plenty of help. "Just starting with Mikal, wanting to pick up full court, make anything that (Haliburton) was doing hard," Knicks backup guard Miles McBride said. "Whether it was denying him, trying to stay into his body or guys being up, just trying to make it hard." Meanwhile, the Knicks outscored Indiana 60-34 in the paint in Game 5 as Towns repeatedly drove for baskets. Perhaps more startling was that Indiana's edge in fastbreak points was limited to 16-15; over the first four games, the Pacers held a whopping 65-23 advantage. "I'm just happy with the way we responded, honestly," Brunson said. "We came out and had some energy to the way we played. I'm very proud of what we did, and we have to try to replicate it." Brunson made 12 of 18 shots while notching his fourth 30-point outing of the series. He is averaging 33 points in the series. Towns averages 25.4 points and 11.8 rebounds. For Indiana, Haliburton averages 21 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Pascal Siakam is also faring well with a 23.6-point average. Siakam wants to see the Pacers raise their level of play on Saturday. "They played harder than us," Siakam said of Game 5. "It's OK. We played hard, but they played harder."
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Defiant Knicks keep season alive with Game 5 win over Pacers in East finals
The Madison Square Garden crowd had waited all week for a spark. On Thursday night, they got a firestorm. With their season dangling by a thread, the New York Knicks delivered a wire-to-wire 111–94 beatdown of the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, keeping their playoff hopes alive and forcing a Game 6 in Indianapolis on Saturday. Jalen Brunson scored 32 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds – despite a bruised left knee that had left his status uncertain until shortly before tipoff – as the Knicks trimmed the Pacers' lead to 3–2 in the best-of-seven-games series and gave their home fans something to believe in. 'It was do or die,' Towns said. 'Nothing was going to stop me from playing this game.' Brunson, held in check during a blowout loss in Game 4, bounced back in familiar fashion. He dropped 14 points in the first quarter alone, finishing 12-of-18 from the field and adding four assists in his 21st career playoff game with 30 or more points, extending a Knicks franchise record he set last week. 'We were just able to get stops early and we would convert,' Brunson said. 'We just found a way.' New York never trailed, flipping the script after a week of frustration that had included two home losses, one unprecedented collapse and a series deficit that left them staring down elimination. But the Game 5 version of the Knicks looked far more like the team that had been among the class of the East all year: tough, urgent, together. The defense set the tone early. After surrendering 43 points in the first quarter of Game 4, the Knicks gave up just 23 in the opening frame Thursday and held Indiana to 45 at the intermission. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers' star playmaker who had posted a 30-point triple-double two nights earlier, was held to just eight points on 2-of-7 shooting with six assists. 'He didn't get the same looks,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'Give their defense credit. They had a lot to do with that.' Indiana's other weapons couldn't make up the difference. Bennedict Mathurin led the team with 23 points off the bench, but the Pacers as a whole struggled to find their rhythm. Game 2 hero Pascal Siakam had 15. Obi Toppin added 11. As a team, they shot just 40.5% from the field and coughed up 19 turnovers. 'We didn't play with the level of force that we needed to,' Carlisle said. 'To start the game, we didn't have the right level of attitude necessary in this environment. It was a bad start.' It was also the first time in these playoffs Indiana, who came in with a six-game road win streak, had been held under 100 points. After taking a 3-1 series lead on Tuesday's behind Haliburton's latest masterclass, the Pacers had looked like a team on the cusp of their second ever NBA finals appearance. But on Thursday, they looked rattled from the jump and New York took complete advantage. Brunson keyed a 23–13 start in the first quarter, and when the Pacers briefly cut the deficit to four, the Knicks responded with a 14–2 second-quarter run to stretch their lead to 48–34. Towns, who scored 12 points in the period, helped New York take a 56–45 lead into half-time. In the third, the Knicks poured it on. Brunson scored their first eight points of the quarter to build a 20-point cushion. Though Indiana briefly clawed back to within 10, a 12–0 New York run – capped by a Brunson four-point play and a Miles McBride jumper – restored order. By the time the fourth quarter began, the Knicks were up 90–73. From there, the Garden crowd could begin to dream in full throat. Fans chanted 'Knicks in seven! Knicks in seven!' as the home team closed the show, leading by as many as 20 and never letting Indiana seriously threaten down the stretch. Josh Hart finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges added 11 and 12 points respectively. More than just scoring, though, it was the Knicks' collective urgency and defensive cohesion that defined Game 5. 'We played to our standards,' Brunson said. 'That's what it's going to take.' With Thursday's win, the Knicks extended their first trip to the conference finals since 2000 and moved one step closer to history. Only 13 teams in NBA history have overturned a 3–1 series deficit, with none having done it in a conference finals after losing the first two games at home. Game 6 will be played Saturday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Pacers will have another chance to clinch their first NBA finals berth since 2000, when they bowed to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. But if the Knicks can replicate Thursday's effort, they will bring it back to the Garden for a winner-take-all Game 7 that few would have imagined just days ago. Guardian
The 42
a day ago
- The 42
Brunson and Towns keep Knicks alive in Pacers rout
JALEN BRUNSON AND Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 56 points as the New York Knicks kept their NBA playoff campaign alive with a 111-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. Trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks roared back to life in front of a star-studded Madison Square Garden crowd with a wire-to-wire win that sets up a game six in Indianapolis on Saturday. Knicks talisman Brunson was once again the standout performer for New York, finishing with 32 points including four three-pointers. Towns, whose presence in the New York line-up was only confirmed shortly before tip-off following a left knee injury in game four, was also a pivotal figure with 24 points and 13 rebounds. 'We were just able to get stops early and we would convert. We just found a way,' Brunson told TNT television. 'I just felt like we played better. We played to our standards. Give them credit for the way they played, but we played Knicks basketball tonight.' Towns said there was never any chance of him not lining up. Advertisement 'It was do or die — nothing was going to stop me from playing this game,' Towns said. Brunson set the tone from the get-go, rattling in 14 points as the Knicks sprinted into an early 23-13 lead in the first quarter. Although Indiana came back to cut the lead to 27-23 at the end of the first, the Knicks continued to control possession, unsettling Indiana with the speed of their fast break offense and neutralising Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo - 'A bad start' - New York led 56-45 at half time with Haliburton scoring just four points in the first half. Haliburton would go on to finish with a series-low eight points, shooting just two-of-seven from the field. The Pacers had staged an epic comeback to take the opening game of the series in New York last week, overturning a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Knicks. There was a hint that another fightback might be in the offing when Indiana slashed a 20-point New York lead to just 10 points in the third quarter. But the Knicks regrouped and stretched their lead once more before closing out the win to keep the series alive. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle blamed his team's failure to threaten the Knicks — it was the first time in the series Indiana had been restricted to less than 100 points — on their sluggish start. 'We didn't play with the level of force that we needed to,' Carlisle said. 'We lost the rebound battle, we lost the turnover battle and we didn't shoot well. 'They had a lot to do with that, so give them credit, but we're going to have to play much better. 'To start the game we didn't have the right level of attitude necessary in this environment. It was a bad start. We never had a lead in the game. There were a multitude of things that were going wrong. 'There were little stretches where we got traction, but it was never enough.' – © AFP 2025
