After a Tyrese Haliburton dunk with 3:20 left in the second quarter, the Indiana Pacers had their largest lead of 20 points at 55-35.
At that point, it appeared the Indiana Pacers were on their way to taking a commanding 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Despite the Pacers’ strong lead, the Knicks showed remarkable resilience. They managed to reduce the lead to 13 at the break, and by the end of the third quarter, New York had cut the lead to 10, setting the stage for an exciting fourth quarter.
Finally, in the fourth, Karl Anthony Towns, who had only four points entering the final quarter, went off. Towns would score 20 of his game-high 24 points in the fourth to go along with a game-high 15 rebounds, and the Knicks got on the board as they defeated the Pacers 106-100 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday night.
The Pacers still lead the series 2-1, and Game 4 is on Tuesday night in Indiana.
In that fourth quarter, where the Knicks outscored Indiana 36-20, Towns was 6/9 from the field, including 3/4 from three-point range. New York would outscore the Pacers 61-42 in the second half.
Jalen Brunson had 23 points for the Knicks, and OG Anunoby added 16.
For the Pacers, Haliburton had 20 points; Myles Turner added 19, and Pascal Siakam chipped in with 17.
Bottom Line:
Towns saved the Knicks’ season. If he didn’t perform like he did in the fourth, the Knicks would be one step closer to elimination and the offseason. However, Towns performed, and the Knicks are one step closer to tying the series at 2.
If the Pacers lose this series, they will point to Game 3. This game was so winnable, but they fell apart and could not get the job done. Losing Aaron Nesmith to an ankle injury in the third quarter didn’t help. Neismith would return, but he looked limited. We’ll see how looks moving forward.
The Pacers are still in control of this series, and if they win Game 4, they’ll still win this series.
Leave a Reply