Game Recap: 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 5 – NYK vs. IND; IND: 94, NYK: 111

“Knicks in seven!” chants echoed through the Garden walls last night as the Knicks finished their wire-to-wire 111-94 Game 5 rout of the Pacers to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 32 points. That was it! That was Jalen Brunson’s marquee Eastern Conference Finals moment! Meanwhile, the Knicks held Tyrese Haliburton to a measly eight points after his historic triple-double in Game 4. “Our backs are against the wall,” said Jalen Brunson, “so I wasn’t thinking I needed to play better than [Haliburton]. I was thinking of making the team better. That’s my mindset every time I’m on the court – just help the team win.” Brunson shot 12-of-18 from the field, and his 14 first-quarter points set the tone while his 16 third-quarter points helped seal the win.

“[Brunson’s] our guy, we know he’s always going to bring it offensively, but I felt he dug in defensively and had great intensity,” said Josh Hart, who scored 12 points off the bench and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. “We know it’s tough for him because he has such a big role offensively, but the biggest thing, especially when you’re getting searched out, at the end of the day, it’s about pride.”

The Knicks can be proud of themselves for sending this series back to Indiana, but the work to force a Game 7 has only just begun.

It took more than just Jalen Brunson for the Knicks to dominate Indiana last night and force a Game 6. Karl-Anthony Towns was a major factor in the Knicks’ success, and when he was on the court, thoughts of a knee injury were non-existent. Towns finished the game with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and a +26 rating, but he drew five fouls, which limited his minutes. Many of those fouls were avoidable, but he managed to make his offense the most memorable aspect of his game.

Towns scored 17 points in the second quarter and notched 10 rebounds by halftime. The Knicks did an excellent job of setting the tone in the first half, with Towns and Brunson splitting the load between the first two quarters. “I liked the aggressiveness of Jalen and KAT to start on offense and then the group being tied together defensively,” said head coach Tom Thibodeau.

The seven-foot Towns also dominated in the paint throughout Game 5, helping the Knicks outscore Indiana 60-34 from down there. “I looked at the game and it said Game 5, do or die,” Towns said. “That was all I needed to see.”

When you look at what it takes to secure a wire-to-wire playoff win, it’s important to examine defense. The Knicks held Indiana’s starters to 12-for-38 from the field. For the Knicks, Mikal Bridges noticeably improved defensively, not just because he held Tyrese Haliburton to eight points and a two-for-seven shooting record from the field, but because he read Indiana’s screens much better. “Mikal did a great job,” said Josh Hart. “He’s picking [Haliburton] up, running around with him. Tyrese is someone who never really stops moving.”

Next, Landry Shamet was impressive defensively for the Knicks again, so much so that he earned a standing ovation after a terrific set of minutes. Shamet’s most notable move came in the fourth quarter when he forced TJ McConnell out of bounds for a turnover. “Landry Shamet” chants blasted from the Garden crowd after that play. “I love New York, I love these fans,” said Shamet. “I see how they ride the wave with us, the highs, the lows, so it’s important to me. I just wanna give everything I’ve got to them, so I appreciate them, but we’ve got more work to do.”

When the fourth quarter arrived, the Knicks were careful not to make the same mistake they did in Game 1, up 14 points with just under three minutes remaining. On TNT, you could hear Stan Van Gundy and Reggie Miller warn the Knicks that it was around this moment in the fourth quarter of Game 1 when Aaron Nesmith put the racecar in full throttle. This time was different. This time, the Knicks were ready. They made sure to make their presence known on the boards late in the fourth quarter, particularly when Karl-Anthony Towns secured an offensive rebound with 2:52 remaining. Towns drove the ball to Indiana’s basket, scored on a layup, and drew a foul. He completed the old-fashioned three-point play, and the Knicks never looked back.

“This time, we continued to push, continued to get stops and run and keep playing the way we got the lead, and I think that was the biggest thing,” said Josh Hart. “Because this is a tough game.” He added, “When you get the lead, you don’t want to abandon how you got the lead.” The Knicks are preparing to return to Indiana on Saturday, but they know it’s going to take even more to beat the Pacers in their building. All season long, Indiana has been excellent at recovering from tough losses.

“It’s a testament to our team answering the call,” said Karl-Anthony Towns on his team’s performance in Game 5. “I think tonight we did that, but we are going to have to be even better next game if we want our season to continue.”

Game 6 in Indianapolis is scheduled for tomorrow at 8 PM (TNT, TruTV, MAX).