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Jalen Brunson scored 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds despite a bruised left knee and the host New York Knicks stayed alive in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Indiana Pacers 111-94 on Thursday night in Game 5.
The Knicks won on their home floor for the first time in the series and prevented the Pacers from earning the second NBA Finals trip in franchise history. Indiana will try again Saturday night at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Knicks fans chanted “Knicks in 7! Knicks in 7!” in the final minutes as New York extended its first trip to the conference finals since 2000 and kept alive hopes of becoming the 14th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. No team has won a conference finals series after dropping the first two games at home.
Two nights after giving up 43 points in the first quarter, the Knicks held the Pacers to just 45 in the first half and limited Tyrese Haliburton, who had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds Tuesday, to just eight points and six assists.
Brunson, outplayed by his point guard counterpart Tuesday, rebounded with his franchise-record 21st postseason game of 30 or more points with the Knicks.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench for the Pacers, who had won six straight road games. Indiana shot just 40.5% from the field in by far its lowest-scoring game of the postseason.
Brunson scored 14 in the first quarter as the Knicks held a 27-23 lead—giving up 20 fewer points than in the first quarter of Game 4, when they trailed 43-35.
Towns, who was questionable to play after hurting his left knee in a collision late in Game 4, picked up the slack with 12 in the second, when Brunson was scoreless.
Brunson came back with the Knicks’ first eight of the third quarter as they opened a 20-point lead midway through the period. The Pacers cut that in half before New York regained control with a 12-0 burst, highlighted by Brunson’s four-point play, to make it 86-64.
“We obviously didn’t play with the level of force that we needed to,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We lost the rebound battle. We lost the turnover battle. We didn’t shoot well. They had a lot to do with it. So, give them a lot of credit and we’re going to have to play better.”
Boxscore
N.Y. Knicks 111, Indiana 94
INDIANA (94)
Nesmith 1-8 0-0 3, Siakam 5-13 4-8 15, Turner 2-3 0-0 5, Haliburton 2-7 4-5 8, Nembhard 3-8 0-0 6, Toppin 4-10 3-3 11, Walker 2-4 0-0 6, Bradley 0-1 2-2 2, Bryant 0-2 0-0 0, Mathurin 6-10 9-9 23, Furphy 0-0 0-0 0, McConnell 3-5 0-0 7, Sheppard 2-3 2-2 8. Totals 30-74 24-29 94.
NEW YORK (111)
Anunoby 3-14 4-4 11, Towns 10-20 3-5 24, Robinson 3-3 0-2 6, Bridges 6-12 0-0 12, Brunson 12-18 4-4 32, Achiuwa 1-2 0-1 2, Hukporti 1-1 0-0 2, Hart 4-8 4-6 12, McBride 2-4 0-0 5, Shamet 2-3 0-0 5, Wright 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 44-89 15-22 111.
Indiana 23 22 28 21 — 94
New York 27 29 34 21 — 111
3-Point Goals_Indiana 10-30 (Sheppard 2-2, Mathurin 2-4, Walker 2-4, McConnell 1-2, Turner 1-2, Siakam 1-3, Nesmith 1-5, Bryant 0-1, Nembhard 0-1, Haliburton 0-2, Toppin 0-4), New York 8-29 (Brunson 4-7, McBride 1-1, Shamet 1-2, Towns 1-4, Anunoby 1-7, Hart 0-2, Bridges 0-3, Wright 0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Indiana 40 (Mathurin 9), New York 45 (Towns 13). Assists_Indiana 20 (Haliburton 6), New York 22 (Bridges, Brunson 5). Total Fouls_Indiana 22, New York 22. A_19,812 (19,812)
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In spite of ‘new world’ round ball thinking, the basket is still ten feet from the floor. Big people overpower little people. It’s true in business, football and basketball. Tom Thibadeaux knows that.
If you (Pacers) get outscored 60-34 in the ‘paint’…there’s a glaring weakness. The only times the Pacers have had successful runs in the NBA were when they relied on defense and rebounding from Dale & Antonio Davis and Rik Smits. After that, Roy Hibbert. The 3 ABA championships were made possible by HOF center Mel Daniels. Successful franchises always are strong ‘down low’..
Wilt, Bill Russell, Kareem, Bill Walton, the ‘Chief’, McHal, Shaq, Anthony Davis, Giannis, now Karl Anthony Towns. The Pacers need to come to the realization that it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to sustain success without a big, strong post presence. It’s simple physics.