The Knicks needed their finisher more than ever.
A 20-point lead had turned to 10 in a matter of minutes, and the Indiana Pacers’ first big run in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals had a sellout Madison Square Garden crowd holding its collective breath.
But on a night the Knicks required all hands on deck, their captain helped them stem the tide.
Jalen Brunson’s third-quarter heroics, including a timely four-point play, helped secure the Knicks’ 111-94 win on Thursday night, keeping their season alive for at least two more days.
“He was cooking, that’s what I saw,” Karl-Anthony Towns said of Brunson. “When he’s playing like that and he’s hitting shots, obviously it energizes everyone.”
Brunson’s five-footer with just under four minutes left in the third quarter snapped a Pacers 10-0 run. Two possessions later, Brunson drilled a stepback 3-pointer through contact from Obi Toppin, falling to the ground as the ball rattled through the hoop.
When he completed the four-point play with a free throw, the Knicks’ lead was back up to 18 with 2:56 left in the third.
Brunson scored 16 points in that third quarter and finished with a game-high 32 on 12-of-18 shooting. He added five rebounds and five assists.
“I wanted to [set the tone], for sure,” Brunson said. “But it was more than putting the ball in the basket. I mean, that happened, but just trying to make sure we’re all on the same page and ready to go and just trying to give everyone energy. Our backs are against the wall, so we have to give it everything we got.”
The Knicks now trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Only 4.4% of the teams to fall behind 3-1 have come back — but 16.1% have overcome 3-2 deficits.
Towns, on a banged-up left knee, contributed 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting with 13 rebounds. That was more than enough offense on a night the Knicks delivered their best defensive effort of the series.
“I looked at the game and it said Game 5, do or die,” said Towns, who came in as questionable after a collision late in Game 4 left him with a knee contusion.
“That was pretty much all I needed to see. Shoutout to our medical staff. They gave me a chance to go out there and compete tonight. I’m glad I was able to put in a lot of hours in the training room, trying to get myself ready so I had a chance [to play].”
The Knicks limited the Pacers’ high-powered offense to 40.5% shooting, including 33.3% from 3-point range. Mikal Bridges repeatedly met Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt, helping to disrupt the All-Star point guard, who finished with eight points on 2-of-7 shooting with six assists.
A lineup of Towns, Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride and Delon Wright gave the Knicks quality defensive minutes, holding up as the Pacers repeatedly attacked Towns.
The crowd chanted Shamet’s name after he forced a turnover on T.J. McConnell with 9:38 left in the fourth. After the Pacers cut the deficit to 96-84 about a minute later, the Knicks stopped Indiana on five straight possessions.
“It just [speaks] to the professionalism that they have,” Towns said of the Knicks’ bench unit. “Be ready for the moment. They did a great job. Every single day we see them working, always being ready for us, so if we ever need them, they can come in and impact the game.”
The Knicks rolled with the same revamped starting lineup as Games 3 and 4, with the rim-protecting Mitchell Robinson in for Hart.
Slow starts plagued the Knicks throughout the series, but they punched first Thursday. Brunson scored on the Knicks’ first three possessions and had 14 points in the first quarter.
With Brunson on the bench to start the second, Towns took over. He scored the Knicks’ first seven points in the second and finished with 12 in the quarter. The Knicks led 56-45 at the break.
Yet the story of the half was the Knicks’ defense.
The Pacers started 5-of-16 — Towns’ work off of a screen contributed to a Haliburton airball in one telling sequence — and shot 37.5% in the first half. Haliburton went into the break with four points on 0-of-3 shooting.
“They’re a very potent offensive team, and everyone has to be tied together on the same page,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said.
The Knicks went up 72-52 with 6:32 left in the third before the Pacers rattled off their 10-0 run. The Knicks answered with baskets on their next five possessions — including Brunson’s four-point play — to open a game-high 22-point lead late in the quarter.
The Knicks lost Games 1 and 2 at the Garden, faltering in the fourth quarter both nights, before splitting the next two games in Indiana.
With Thursday’s win, the Knicks improved to 4-5 at the Garden this postseason.
The Knicks are trying to become the 14th team in NBA history (out of 298) to come back from a 3-1 deficit. They seek to become the first team to win a conference finals after losing Games 1 and 2 at home.
The Knicks can even the series in Game 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Saturday night.
“We have no more room for error,” Towns said. “It’s our backs against the wall, and every game is do or die. So, if we don’t bring that energy, we don’t bring that execution, our season will be over.”
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