Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 56 points to lead the New York Knicks to a dominant 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, keeping their playoff hopes alive in the Eastern Conference Finals, MySportDab Reports.
With the Knicks trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, the team delivered a wire-to-wire victory at Madison Square Garden to cut the deficit to 3-2 and force a crucial Game 6 in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Brunson once again led the charge with 32 points, including four three-pointers, while Towns — who was a game-time decision due to a left knee injury — added a crucial double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
“We were just able to get stops early and convert,” Brunson said. “We played to our standards. That was Knicks basketball tonight.”
Towns echoed the urgency of the moment, saying, “It was do or die. Nothing was going to stop me from playing this game.”
New York raced out to a 23-13 lead in the first quarter behind Brunson’s hot start, and maintained control throughout. The Knicks led 56-45 at halftime and stifled Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with a series-low eight points on just 2-of-7 shooting.
Though Indiana briefly trimmed a 20-point deficit to 10 in the third quarter, the Knicks regrouped and pulled away down the stretch. It was the first time in the series that the Pacers were held under 100 points.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle admitted his team lacked the intensity required. “We didn’t play with the level of force we needed to,” he said. “It was a bad start, and we never had the lead.”
Game 6 is set for Saturday, with the Knicks aiming to force a Game 7 at home.
