Knicks Hold Off Elimination and Outmuscle the Pacers to Force a Game 6 in Indiana

Brunson’s 32-point performance powers the Knicks past Indiana to stay alive and force a Game 6 on the road.

Knicks force a Game 6! Final Score!

With the New York Knicks down 1-3 in the series, they had a chance to save their season from ending, and they did just that, staying alive with a statement 111-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers to push this series into a Game 6.

The Knicks came out firing on all cylinders, winning the tip and setting the tone with Jalen Brunson operating in his full form early. He shook free for a floater, stepped into a smooth jumper off the dribble, and after OG Anunoby intercepted a bad pass from Pascal Siakam, Towns missed a three that was swatted out of bounds. Off the reset, Brunson sank his third straight bucket. Myles Turner responded with a triple to settle Indiana down, but Brunson wasn’t done. He lobbed a perfectly placed alley-oop to Mitchell Robinson for a two-handed finish, then watched OG muscle inside for two more after drawing a foul.

While Siakam hit a turnaround jumper and Ben Sheppard found space for the three-ball, the Knicks were clearly the more aggressive team. Karl-Anthony Towns struggled early, missing shots and tossing errant passes, but eventually steadied himself with a three and a driving layup. New York locked in on defense as Mitchell blocked Tyrese Haliburton, OG denied a driving attempt, and the team clamped down to spark an 11-2 run that forced an Indiana timeout with the Knicks suddenly up 23-13.

Brunson drilled another three to stretch the lead, then took it inside again for a tough shot that bounced in just as the shot clock expired. Indiana tried to respond with a three from T.J. McConnell, but New York kept answering with hustle and strength.

Josh Hart had found Mitch on a cut for a jam, and Mikal Bridges knocked down tough shots in traffic as the Knicks carried a 27-23 lead and plenty of momentum into the second quarter.

The second quarter began with New York’s bench unit keeping up the pressure.

Towns came alive with a powerful and-one finish over Siakam, then bulldozed his way to the rim again through contact. Although Toppin had some straight-line drives, the Knicks started to build a cushion behind better ball movement. Delon Wright missed a pair of threes, but Towns cleaned up the glass and got the job done. A strong Hart and-one in transition pushed the lead further.

OG picked up his second foul which briefly stalled the momentum, but after some back-and-forth misses, Landry Shamet nailed a clean three from the top off a Delon pass. Towns then added another and-one finish, showing no effects from the knee pain that bothered him last game.

With New York on a 12-2 run, up by a dozen, Indiana looked absolutely rattled.

Despite good ball movement, Nesmith missed a wide-open corner three. OG scored off his own miss, and Shamet’s defense continued to shine with effort plays. Then, Turner finally converted a tough inside bucket, but Hart answered with a cut inside for the layup and Bridges found rhythm with a mid-range jumper. Although Delon continued to struggle offensively, the Knicks' effort made up for it. Towns dropped in another driving layup, OG scored on a tip-in, and despite a late corner-three from Jarace Walker, the Knicks stayed in firm control.

Brunson closed the half with 14 points, Towns added 17, and New York took a 56-45 lead into halftime.

Coming out of halftime, the Knicks didn’t let up.

After an early offensive charge by Towns and a travel from Nesmith, Brunson coasted inside for a crafty and-one layup, then drilled a triple to give the Knicks an even bigger lead at 64-48. On top of that, Mitch made his presence felt again, swatting Tyrese and following up on a missed Brunson three with a strong put-back. The defense was active, forcing turnovers, and making life tough for Indiana.

Towns muscled in another layup and OG knocked down two free throws to cap off an 8-2 run, stretching the lead to as much as 20. But foul trouble crept in as Towns picked up his fourth and had to sit. With Tony Bradley hobbling off and Tyrese struggling under pressure, the Pacers looked flat.

Brunson and Bridges kept the offense fluid with a three and a tough wing jumper. Then came the highlight. Brunson drilled a pull-up three through contact and converted the four-point play, sending MSG into a frenzy. Precious Achiuwa then checked in for Mitch and made an immediate impact, driving to the rim for a layup off a feed from Bridges. He drew a foul from T.J. but missed the and-one free throw. Despite the miss, the Knicks still completed a 10–0 run to push the lead back up to 20.

Indiana tried to respond with a Bennedict and-one and a Sheppard triple, but Bridges buried another mid-range shot. After the initial buzzer sounded, Bennedict was called for traveling, prompting a review by the officials to determine how much time should be added. They put 0.6 seconds back on the clock for the Knicks, but Towns couldn’t connect on a last-second jumper.

Still, New York held a 90-73 lead heading into the fourth.

The final frame was all about composure. Shamet opened with a step-back jumper, OG nailed a corner triple, and even with brief Pacers' runs, the Knicks refused to fold. Towns missed a finger roll but stayed aggressive, and Shamet’s tight defense forced T.J. into a turnover. Hart bullied his way inside for two over Nembhard, then added another layup assisted by Bridges after a broken play.

Brunson continued to attack, knocking down a pull-up two. Even after OG missed a three, Hart grabbed his 11th rebound of the night. A great passing sequence by the Knicks ended with Towns throwing down a strong dunk inside. As time wound down, both teams emptied most of their benches.

And with just over a minute remaining, as New York held a 108-90 lead, the Garden crowd was already looking forward to Game 6.

The Knicks had survived with a 111-94 win, trimming the series to 2-3 and keeping their hopes alive in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Overall, the surviving Knicks had four of their starters and one of their bench players in double digits. Brunson claimed 32 points with four triples, Towns finished the game with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Bridges and Hart added 12 points each, and OG chipped in with 11 points.

On the other hand, the defeated Pacers only had one starter and two bench players in double digits, with Mathurin piling on 23 points, Siakam scoring 15, and Toppin adding 11.

Next up, the New York Knicks will be facing the Indiana Pacers on the road for Game 6 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (2-3) on Saturday May 31 at 8:00 p.m. E.T. for the chance to save themselves from elimination once again, or else the Pacers will move on to the finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.