The Knicks didn't hear no bell.
After falling into a 3-1 hole in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers earlier in the week, New York could have easily rolled over and died. After all, only 13 teams in NBA history have ever accomplished the feat. Instead, however, they took their backs-against-the-wall positioning to heart. Behind yet another dominant performance from Jalen Brunson, the Knicks gutted out a 111-94 win and kept themselves alive in the best-of-seven series.
Despite a brief surge from Indiana to start the final frame, New York led wire-to-wire in this one thanks to 14 first quarter points from Brunson, who scored a total of 32 throughout the contest on 12 for 18 shooting. His teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, who was a last-minute addition to the lineup as he works through a knee injury, tallied 24 of his own.
Together, Brunson and Towns are the first pair of teammates to score 20-plus points in each of the first five games of a conference finals since Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2002. Impressive stuff from the duo.
On the losing side, it was Bennedict Mathurin who set the Pacers' scoring velocity as he poured in 23 points off the bench. Pascal Siakam was the only starter to net in double digits, while star Tyrese Haliburton struggled, scoring just eight points on two for seven shooting.
The series now heads back to Indianapolis with the Pacers still holding onto a, albeit much tighter, lead. Game 6 is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. EST from Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday.
More NBA Playoffs on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Knicks, Brunson Keep Title Hope Alive With Authoritative Win Over Pacers in Game 5.
