The New York Knicks did what they have done best in these NBA playoffs, charging back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 106-100 and narrow Indiana’s series lead in the Eastern Conference finals to 2-1.
The Pacers led most of Sunday’s game, but Indiana opened the door for New York to remind everyone how it upset the Boston Celtics to make the conference final. In that series, the Knicks rallied from 20-point deficits in Games 1 and 2 en route to a six-game win.
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On Sunday, led by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 24 points and 15 rebounds, the Knicks took their first lead since the start of the first quarter with less than 10 minutes to go until the final buzzer. Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points for Indiana, and the two teams traded the lead in the fourth quarter until New York eked out the win.
The Knicks and Pacers play Game 4 on Tuesday.
Towns delivers when the Knicks need it
Towns picked up his third foul early in the second quarter. He missed five of his seven first-half shot attempts. He scored just four points over the first three quarters. For a while, he and the Knicks looked like they were headed for a blowout loss.
They worked their way back into a manageable deficit, then Towns took over. While scoring 20 points over the first 6:50 of the fourth quarter, he used all the clubs in his bag. He beat his defender with a drop-step in the post. He cut for a dunk. He curled off a screen for a deep 3. He scored on a stepback jumper from 30 feet after dancing with the basketball well beyond the arc. Few big men would even consider taking that type of shot, but Towns drilled it to give the Knicks a 94-90 lead midway through the fourth.
Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride were in foul trouble much of the night. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was experimenting with lineups in what was essentially a must-win game. The Knicks didn’t always play smoothly, but Towns delivered them a badly needed win.
Moving forward, Towns will need to stay away from bad fouls that have occasionally limited his playing time. He will need to avoid the quiet stretches that sometimes come for him. He will need to be healthy after appearing to limp around a little bit near the end of the game. But if Towns plays like he did Sunday, the Knicks will have a real chance to come back in this series. He was incredible when his team needed it most. — Jay King, NBA staff writer
Up and downs for Pacers’ bench
With about six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith drove on the baseline and landed on Brunson’s foot. Nesmith sprained his ankle, sitting for 11 minutes. The Pacers lost that time by 14 points. Nesmith came back into the game and continued to supply excellent defense, with the bulk of New York’s offense coming from Towns.
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Still, if Nesmith is at all hobbled going forward in this series, it presents questions for Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who has relied heavily on his bench throughout the playoffs. Nesmith is the primary defender on Brunson and was a big reason he struggled (6-of-18 from the field) on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Pacers’ bench, which has been deeper and better than New York’s all season, has been reliable all season. After a great first half from the bench, T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin and Ben Sheppard were all flat in the second half. A Knicks lineup that played zero minutes all season, featuring deep reserves such as Delon Wright and Landry Shamet, outplayed them.
Carlisle will unquestionably give his bench a chance to bounce back Tuesday in Game 4. But if Nesmith is limited and a few more individuals continue to struggle, will Carlisle conform to playoff norms and shorten his rotation? — Eric Koreen, NBA staff writer
Indy falls short of another comeback
Towns was brilliant in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in the frame — which was the same as Indiana’s entire team — to help the Knicks avoid an all-but season-ending 3-0 hole in the series. The Pacers’ stars weren’t able to match his dominance. Haliburton, who broke the Knicks’ hearts with a game-tying jumper in Game 1 that sent the game into overtime and eventually led to a Pacers win, scored seven points in the fourth quarter but couldn’t provide the same late-game heroics as he did in Game 1. The All-Star guard sank two free throws to cut the Knicks’ lead to two points with 9.7 seconds left in the game, but this time around, the Pacers ran out of magic. Brunson, who battled through foul trouble for nearly the entire game, scored six points over the last 77 seconds of the contest to seal the Knicks’ victory.
Indiana blew a 20-point lead in the second quarter as Pascal Siakam and Nesmith cooled off. After scoring 39 points in the Pacers’ Game 2 victory, Siakam finished with 17 points Sunday on 7-for-14 shooting. The All-Star forward was a game-worst minus-21 in his 35 minutes. Nesmith made just one 3-pointer on three attempts after shooting 10-for-12 combined from behind the arc in the first two games of the series. — James Boyd, Indianapolis staff writer
(Photo of Karl-Anthony Towns: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
