While a comeback for New York is still in doubt, the Knicks dominated the Pacers for much of game five, closing out a 111-94 victory behind 32 points from point guard Jalen Brunson.
Heading into game five of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, it was believed the league was headed for an Oklahoma City Thunder-Indiana Pacers matchup in the Finals of this year’s Playoffs, only for the New York Knicks to send the series back to Indianapolis with a 111-94 victory on May 29. Despite still facing a 3-2 series deficit and requiring two consecutive wins to surpass Indiana, the Knicks showcased slight adjustments which could pay dividends in its comeback attempt.
Holding opposing point guard Tyrese Haliburton to just eight points on seven shot attempts was certainly a recipe for success, as role players such as Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner also failed to get anything going on the offensive end. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau uncharacteristically let his bench loose as well, with veterans like Delon Wright and Landry Shamet getting minutes to help ease the burden of New York’s franchise star Jalen Brunson.
Brunson has been incredible throughout the 2024-2025 Playoffs, but has struggled to close out matchups so far against Indiana, most notably in games one and two when the Knicks held fourth quarter leads but saw the Pacers comeback on both occasions. If it weren’t for an improbable win in game one which saw Indiana make up nine points in about 50 seconds, the Knicks would be the ones holding a 3-2 series lead with the chance to reach its first NBA Finals in a quarter-century.
The same holds true for Indiana, however, as Haliburton and company are clearly motivated to become the first Pacers team since the days of Reggie Miller leading the franchise to have a shot on the NBA’s ultimate stage. The chances of New York making a 3-1 series comeback were seen as near impossible heading into game five, but if the Knicks continue to get this level of play from Brunson as well as center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has put together three consecutive 24-point double-doubles, the team’s chances of reaching the NBA Finals will only continue to swell.
Towns may be the x-factor of this entire series, as his lack of aggression in games one and two were a notable fault that Thibodeau seemed to fix by playing Mitchell Robinson more in favor of his prized offseason acquisition. In response, Towns has showcased the form that saw the Knicks send Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and draft capital to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for the big man, creating a nucleus centered around Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who the Knicks acquired for five first round draft picks from the Brooklyn Nets. The roster was built to withstand the likes of the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics, which proved to be true for New York after eliminating Boston in six games during the second round.
Even with a devastating achilles injury suffered by Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, New York was on the verge of taking a 3-1 series lead regardless if the multi-time All-Star was able to continue playing or not. Against Indiana, the Knicks have struggled to keep pace with a frenzied Pacers offense, which thrives on speed, three-point shooting and the playmaking abilities of Haliburton at point guard. When the former Sacramento Kings draft pick is right, there may not be a more thrilling offense in the league other than Indiana, but the downside can be seen in the game five result against New York when Haliburton’s game is a step off.
On DraftKings, the Pacers are still a -360 favorite to advance to the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City, while the Knicks improved its odds to +290 for pulling off the 3-1 turnaround. It’s difficult to sell any bettor on New York with an impending matchup in Indiana still needing to be played, but the Knicks came back from double digits in game three to stay alive in the series and steal a road victory from the Pacers. With Indiana now feeling the pressure to close out the Knicks at home instead of having to travel back to New York for a game seven matchup, there is no telling how game six could play out on May 31.
