Brunson, Towns Power Knicks to Game 5 Win, Force Pacers to Game 6 Showdown

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In a must-win moment on their home court, the New York Knicks delivered. Jalen Brunson scored 32 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds—despite battling a bruised left knee—as the Knicks staved off elimination with a convincing 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night. The victory cuts the Pacers' series lead to 3-2 and extends New York’s best playoff run in over two decades, keeping alive the dream of a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit—a feat accomplished just 13 times in NBA history. The Knicks now look ahead to Game 6 in Indiana on Saturday night, where the Pacers will again try to clinch their first NBA Finals berth since 2000. For Brunson, it was a resounding bounce-back performance. After being outshined by Tyrese Haliburton in Game 4, the Knicks’ star guard opened aggressively, scoring 14 in the first quarter and finishing with his 21st career playoff game with 30 or more points—a new Knicks franchise record.

“It was win or go home, and we weren’t ready to go home,” Brunson said postgame. “We knew we had to come out with energy, especially on the defensive end.”

That defensive energy was on full display. Two nights after surrendering 43 first-quarter points, the Knicks flipped the script, holding Indiana to just 23 in the opening frame and only 45 by halftime. The Pacers’ normally potent offense, which had averaged over 110 points per game in the postseason, was stymied to its lowest output of the playoffs, shooting just 40.5% from the field. Haliburton, who torched the Knicks with 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds in Game 4, was held to just 8 points and 6 assists in Game 5. Meanwhile, Towns, who was questionable entering the game due to a knee injury suffered late in Game 4, delivered when it mattered most. With Brunson held scoreless in the second quarter, Towns poured in 12 points, helping the Knicks build a cushion they would never relinquish.

“I couldn’t sit this one out,” Towns said. “These are the moments you dream about. Banged up or not, I wanted to be there for my team.”

The third quarter saw the Knicks surge, led once again by Brunson, who scored New York’s first eight points of the half. A four-point play midway through the third capped a 12-0 Knicks run that blew the game wide open, stretching the lead to 22. Bennedict Mathurin tried to rally the Pacers with a team-high 23 points off the bench, but Indiana never seriously threatened the lead again. As the final minutes ticked away, chants of “Knicks in 7! Knicks in 7!” rang through Madison Square Garden, a crowd energized by the team’s grit and resilience.

The Knicks’ win marked their first at home in the series and reinforced the importance of momentum. No team has ever come back to win a conference finals after losing the first two games at home, but New York isn’t concerned with history.

“We’ve got to go into Indiana and fight like our season depends on it—because it does,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “This team has heart. And we’re not done yet.” Up Next: Game 6 tips off Saturday night in Indianapolis, where the Pacers will look to close out the series. If the Knicks force a Game 7, it will return to New York—where belief is building.