Latest news with #Towns
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Jalen Brunson, Knicks earn trip back to Indiana for Game 6
Karl-Anthony Towns knew where the Eastern Conference finals stood as he evaluated the pain in his left knee prior to the Thursday game. The New York Knicks were staring at elimination, and the consequences supplied Towns with a clear course of action. 'I looked at the game and it was 'Game 5, do or die,'' Towns said. 'That was pretty much all I needed to see.' Towns and Jalen Brunson were both on top of their games and New York staved off elimination with a convincing 111-94 victory over the visiting Indiana Pacers in Game 5. The Knicks, who cut their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, will have the opportunity to tie when the teams meet Saturday night in Indianapolis. Brunson scored 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting and Towns played through his injury to record 24 points and 13 rebounds as the third-seeded Knicks led wire to wire. 'I just feel like we played better,' Brunson said. 'We played to our standards.' Towns believes the Knicks have to play with the same conviction in Game 6. 'We have no room for error,' Towns said. 'Our backs are against the wall and every game is do or die. If we don't bring that energy or execution, our season will be over.' Bennedict Mathurin registered 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the fourth-seeded Pacers. Pascal Siakam had 15 points, and reserve Obi Toppin added 11. Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton was largely silent, finishing with eight points, on 2-of-7 shooting, and six assists. Two nights earlier, he had 30 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and zero turnovers in a stellar Game 4 effort. 'Rough night for me. I've got to be better setting the tone and getting downhill,' Haliburton said. 'I feel I didn't do a great job of that. ... They picked up the pressure a little bit more and applied more as the game went on. Put it on me. I got to be better in Game 6.' The Knicks shot 49.4 percent from the field in Game 5, including 8 of 29 (27.6 percent) from 3-point range. Josh Hart had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Mikal Bridges also scored 12 points, and OG Anunoby had 11 points. Indiana connected on 40.5 percent of its shots and was 10 of 30 from behind the arc while committing 19 turnovers. The Pacers trailed by as many as 22 points. 'It was a bad start. We never had the lead,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'There were a multitude of things going wrong. There were stretches in the game where we got a little bit of traction but never enough.' The Knicks led by 11 at halftime but pushed the edge to 72-52 on two free throws by Anunoby with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter. Indiana displayed life with a 12-2 run to move within 74-64 on two foul shots by Mathurin with 4:09 left in the period. Brunson had six points, including a four-point play, as New York answered with 12 straight points. Miles 'Deuce' McBride hit a jumper to cap it and make it 86-64 with 2:12 remaining. The Pacers responded with a 9-2 burst before Bridges sank a 12-footer with 1.8 seconds left to give the Knicks a 90-73 advantage entering the final stanza. New York led by 20 in the fourth before Indiana scored nine of the next 10 points to creep within 96-84 with 8:15 remaining. However, Hart answered with consecutive baskets and Bridges hit a jumper to make it an 18-point margin with 5:41 remaining. Towns' driving basket made it 106-90 with 2:44 left, and Carlisle waved the white flag by removing Haliburton, Mathurin and Siakam from the contest. 'We've been a resilient team all year,' Siakam said. 'We've shown all year we can fight and we can bounce back. Our strength is sticking together as a team ... 'It's always been us against the world, and that's not going to change. Nobody wanted us here, but every barrier that was there, we broke that. We're up 3-2 in the series and we're going to go back home.' Towns had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half as New York led 56-45 at the break. Siakam had nine points in the half for the Pacers. Indiana trailed by two early in the second quarter before New York rattled off 14 of the next 16 points to take a 48-34 lead with 5:07 left in the half. The 14-point edge was the Knicks' largest before intermission. Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
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.' Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
After NY Knicks' Game 5 rout, pressure shifts to Indiana Pacers for Game 6
NY Knicks' point guard Jalen Brunson dribbles the ball under pressure from the Indiana Pacers' point guard TJ McConnell during Game 5. PHOTO: AFP INDIANAPOLIS – 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 who are facing more pressure entering the pivotal Game 6 in Indianapolis on May 31 (June 1, Singapore time). Indiana hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. There is pressure, of course, but clinching a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 will be a much easier endeavour in front of their 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 their 111-94 home victory in Game 5. They 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 levelling the series will be much easier if they 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 post-season history. He also made five three-pointers and had four steals in the 130-121 home triumph. But Game 5 was a totally different experience for him. New York hounded him from the outset and mixed their 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 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 in Game 6. 'They played harder than us,' he said of Game 5. 'It's OK. We played hard, but they played harder.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
NBA: After Knicks' Game 5 rout, pressure shifts to Pacers for Game 6
May 27, 2025; Tyrese Haliburton reacts after shooting a 3-pt basket during the second quarter against the New York Knicks of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images) 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." --Field Level Media/Reuters
Observer
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Observer
Brunson, Towns keep Knicks alive in Pacers rout
New York: 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 said. "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. "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. — '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
