NEW YORK Knicks stayed alive in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals with a decisive 111-94 victory against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Jalen Brunson excelled with a game-high 32 points, including four three-pointers, along with five rebounds and five assists, helping the Knicks narrow the series deficit to 2-3.
Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds despite dealing with a left knee injury, while Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart contributed 12 points each, and OG Anunoby added 11 points.
Holding a slim two-point lead in the second quarter, the Knicks surged ahead with a 14-2 scoring run behind Brunson and Towns to extend their advantage to 56-45 at halftime.
The Knicks managed to increase their lead to 20 points at 72-52 midway through the third quarter, but the Pacers responded with a 12-2 scoring blast to cut the deficit to 64-74.
In the fourth quarter, the Knicks once again pulled away by 22 points at 86-64 before the Pacers attempted to close the gap to 84-96, but New York ultimately sealed the victory by extending their lead to 106-90.
“I thought the first quarter, that set the tone for the game,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “I think the big thing is keeping it simple. The first open man, hit him.”
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Paskal Siakam and Obi Toppin added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Indiana star guard Tyrese Haliburton was limited to just eight points and six assists, while Myles Turner struggled, finishing with only five points./PN
BOX SCORE:
NEW YORK 111 — Brunson 32, Towns 24, Bridges 12, Hart 12, Anunoby 11, Robinson 6, McBride 5, Shamet 5, Achiuwa 2, Hukporti 2, Wright 0.
INDIANA 94 — Mathurin 23, Siakam 15, Toppin 11, Halliburton 8, Sheppard 8, McConnell 7, Walker 6, Nembhard 6, Turner 5, Nesmith 3, Bradley 2, Bryant 0, Furphy 0.
Quarterscores: 27-23; 56-45; 90-73; 111-94.
