The New York Knicks found a lead that was safe against the Indiana Pacers.
In a 2025 Eastern Conference finals that has seen both teams choke away big leads, the Knicks found a Game 5 advantage and kept it against their fellow comeback artists in a 111-94 win. Game 6 is scheduled for Saturday in Indiana (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
It was Indiana’s first loss in a Game 5 all playoffs after closing out the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers in the same situation.
The mechanics of the blowout came down to two major factors: Jalen Brunson and a miserable night on offense for the Pacers. The Knicks star posted 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting with five rebounds and five assists, continuing a stellar series in which he was averaging 33.3 points per game entering Thursday.
Brunson joined LeBron James, Michael Jordan and potential NBA Finals opponent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players to post at least 10 games of 30 points and five assists in a single postseason.
Brunson’s point guard counterpart, Tyrese Haliburton, was a bit quieter. He posted eight points on 2-of-7 shooting with six assists and two rebounds. As a team, the Pacers shot 40.5% with 20 turnovers.
The Knicks went wire-to-wire, with some scares
None of that is to say the Pacers were dead all night, though. The Knicks never trailed and were up by as many as 22 points late in the third quarter, but Indiana cut it to 12 early in the fourth quarter. Any fan in Madison Square Garden who says they weren’t worried at that point is lying.
It might be hyperbole to say that about a second half in which the Knicks led by double digits throughout, but that’s the reputation the Pacers have earned given what they’ve done in all three of their series this postseason.
Tom Thibodeau was certainly concerned, as that was when the Knicks head coach reinserted his starters. That group held on until Indiana finally waved the white flag with two minutes remaining. “Knicks in seven” chants rang out soon after.
Now comes the harder part for New York. The Knicks staved off elimination at home with a loud crowd behind them, but Game 6 will feature a Gainbridge Fieldhouse audience fully aware of how close its team is to its first Finals since 2000.
It will be loud, and it won’t even be the only game the Knicks need to win. But for now, they can say they definitely looked like the better team on Thursday.
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