Back in New York City for Game 5 tonight, fans expected the Knicks to come out with a fire, looking to end their home playoff losing streak. What they didn’t expect was a dominant performance for the home team, which saw them run away with the game in a shocking shift of momentum.
From the first quarter to the final buzzer, the Knicks were locked in, and they held a lead for almost the entire time. The crowd, pleased with the performance, eventually broke out into the streets to congratulate their team. Now, New York has forced a Game 6 back at Indiana, where they will fight again to even up the series and avoid elimination.
The Knicks won by 17 points (111-94) tonight, led by Jalen Brunson (32 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists). They somehow held the Pacers to 40.5% shooting from the field for just 94 points. Even more shockingly, Tyrese Haliburton finished with just eight points tonight after a 32-point performance on Tuesday.
“Congrats to the Knicks on a huge elimination game win,” wrote Pacers superfan Pat McAfee on X. “I bet the Garden was electric tonight. Would’ve been wild to experience. Can’t wait for Game 6.”
Objectively, the Pacers still have an edge in the series, given that they still have a game to lose and one of the final games on their home court. There is still much work to be done, but what we saw tonight was enough for some Knicks fans to talk about a potential 3-1 comeback.
“There hasn’t been a 3-1 comeback in 5 years, but this team is special and will definitely pull it off,” wrote a hopeful Knicks fan.
The heart of the win was Jalen Brunson, who has been leading the charge for his team all season long. He was the leading scorer in tonight’s game with 32 points and proved once again why he’s among the best guards in the game right now.
“If you are going to criticize the Knicks this series that’s fine there’s a lot to say there, but if your takeaway is “you cannot win with Jalen Brunson” while he’s averaging 30 on solid efficiency, you are psychotic,” wrote one X user on Brunson.
Many fans were just happy to see the team take a win back at Madison Square Garden after losing the first two games at home and risking a 4-0 sweep. Of course, being on the brink of elimination, the Knicks will have to win at least one more game on the road, and it could end up being what decides the series.
“Anything can happen in Game 6. Injuries to Hali or Siakam… illness, the role players for Indy can have a bad game,” wrote a fan. “We don’t know. The same goes for the Knicks. Knicks made great adjustments tonight.”
Either way, with the momentum shifting, the pressure is all on Indiana now to close out the Knicks and put the series away. After all the talking they did, losing now would be catastrophic to their cause.
“Brunson’s playing so well, even Drake is taking notes on his pregame fits,” wrote one fan. “Game 6 pressure’s on, can’t wait to see if Indiana brings the heat or just more excuses.”
The worst of the criticism was directed at Tyrese Haliburton. It was strange seeing him go just 2-7 from the field after one of the best playoff games of his career on Tuesday. He faced heavy scrutiny after the defeat.
“Most obvious stinker of all time and people were calling him the face of the league, wrote one critic. “He’s one of the most inconsistent players in the league, up there with Jalen Green.”
It remains to be seen how the Pacers will respond in Game 6, but they have a lot to think about after such a lopsided loss. With the Knicks seemingly in a stride, it’s going to be harder to take them out of rhythm now. The good news is that Tyrese Haliburton shouldn’t be as bad as he was tonight, and the Pacers can count on him to be better in Game 6.
In such an even and competitive series, anything can happen, and momentum can flip on a dime just like that. For the Knicks, securing this win should be proof enough that they can beat the Pacers, but they’ll need better execution on the court to defeat their latest competitors.
