The Knicks extended their postseason journey with a commanding 94-111 victory over the Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden.
Facing elimination, the Knicks delivered a performance that reignited their championship hopes.
Jalen Brunson led the charge with 32 points, orchestrating the offense with precision and poise.
Karl-Anthony Towns said of Brunson, “He was cooking, that’s what I saw — I saw him cooking. When he’s playing like that and he’s hitting shots, obviously it energizes everyone.”
Towns, overcoming concerns about a knee problem, contributed a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
“We put a lot of hours in, trying to get myself ready so I could have a chance,” Towns said. “God was good. I was able to go out there and play.”
The Knicks’ defense was stifling, holding the Pacers to just 94 points – their lowest output of the series and held them to just 40.5 percent shooting from the field.
“[Haliburton] played phenomenal in Game 4,” Brunson said. “I mean, our backs are against the wall. I wasn’t thinking, ‘I need to play better than him.’ I was just thinking, ‘I need to help my team win.’ And that’s my mindset every time I’m on the court — just help my team win.”
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau praised his team’s defense: “Sometimes it’s a combination of [Haliburton] missing some shots he normally makes, but our guys were tied together and tried to make him work for everything. That’s what you have to do. You have to fight to win every possession.”
The Knicks’ bench also played a pivotal role, with key contributions that maintained momentum and provided crucial rest for the starters. The victory narrows the series deficit to 3-2, with Game 6 set to take place in Indiana.
As the series shifts back to Indiana, the Knicks aim to carry this momentum forward, striving to force a decisive Game 7 back at the Garden.
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