The New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers 111-94 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday, avoiding elimination and forcing a Game 6.
The Pacers came into the matchup with a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, but they looked complacent to start the game.
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Jalen Brunson went on a personal scoring run to put the Knicks up 6-0 early. New York was in the lead for the rest of the night as an impressive defensive performance fueled a wire-to-wire win.
The Knicks turned a four-point lead into 11 points by halftime while Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers struggled to string together a scoring run.
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Haliburton had by far his worst game of the series. He wasn’t simply missing shots, he wasn’t even taking them. He attempted just seven shots and finished with eight points.
His lack of aggression combined with his teammates’ poor shooting night resulted in their first game as a team this postseason with less than 100 points scored.
Brunson had a stellar night with 32 points and five assists on 12-of-18 shooting while Karl-Anthony Towns put up a dominant 24 points and 13 rebounds.
New York shot over 49% from the field while Indiana barely managed to crack 40%, a disadvantage that the Pacers’ offense rarely faces.
With Indiana up front 3-2, the series will now return to Indianapolis for an exciting Game 6 on Saturday.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
