Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks

On Thursday night, Madison Square Garden hosts Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, featuring the New York Knicks against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers secured a 3-1 series lead with a win over the Knicks on Tuesday.

Historically, teams trailing 3-1 in the NBA Playoffs have only managed to turn the series around 13 times out of 283 instances, giving the Knicks a daunting 4.5% chance of recovery.

The Knicks’ defense faltered in Game 4, allowing the Pacers to shoot 51% from the field and 40.6% from three-point range. Indiana also dominated fastbreak points, outscoring New York 22-9, which proved critical.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points, supported by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 24 points, though Towns’ knee injury from the game could be a concern for Game 5.

The Indiana Pacers, now in control, boast an impressive 11-3 record across 14 playoff games this season after their 130-121 triumph on Tuesday.

Tyrese Haliburton delivered a historic performance in Game 4, posting 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds with no turnovers—a unique stat line in NBA history, playoffs or regular season.

Pascal Siakam recorded his second 30-point game of the series, while Benedict Mathurin contributed 20 points in just 12 minutes off the bench.

Karl-Anthony Towns has delivered at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in three out of the first four games of the series against the Indiana Pacers. The exception was Game 2, where, inexplicably, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau decided to bench Towns for much of the game, restricting him to just 28 minutes. Even so, Towns managed 20 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Towns has been a standout performer in this matchup, posting an average of nearly 26 points per game on 52% field goal shooting, including an impressive 45.5% from three-point range. He’s also been dominant on the boards, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, driven by 18.0 rebounding opportunities per game, which ranks second-highest in the third round.

In Game 4, Towns caused some concern among Knicks fans after colliding knees with Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith late in the fourth quarter. Despite appearing hampered, he remained in the game and brushed off questions about his condition during the postgame press conference.