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The New York Knicks have roared back to life. After delivering another stunning playoff comeback, they’re back in the mix in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Despite appearing down and out through much of the first half, New York clawed back from a 20-point hole for the third time this unpredictable postseason. Karl-Anthony Towns spearheaded a furious fourth-quarter surge to outduel Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers.
The fourth quarter shouldn’t have even been a factor. “I have to watch film to give you a better answer, but it felt like the game was just, like, stuck there, which is a weird feeling,” said the Pacers floor general Tyrese Haliburton during his postgame interview.
Towns ignited a furious fourth-quarter run, and Brunson, despite sitting much of the second half with foul trouble, nailed the go-ahead floater with 1:17 left to seal the Knicks’ 106-100 Game 3 win at a stunned Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Towns erupted for 20 points in the final quarter, while both stars shook off early struggles to take over late.
“It felt like every time we scored, they scored. Every time we didn’t, we got a stop. We never were able to really pull away. I don’t really know the real answer. … (but) I felt the ball got stuck a little bit. I felt like a lot of our turnovers (eight of 12) happened in the second half. I just felt like we did a better job of valuing the ball in the first half,” Haliburton continued.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers collapse late against the Knicks
The Pacers surged ahead by 16 points early in the third quarter and held a 15-point cushion on five different occasions during the stretch. But each time, they failed to put the Knicks away. It wasn’t Brunson who sparked the response—Mikal Bridges strung together six quick points midway through the quarter, and Miles McBride closed it out with seven straight to end the frame.
Instead of facing a blowout, New York trimmed the gap to just 10 entering the fourth. Karl-Anthony Towns took over from there, delivering a dominant final quarter to keep the Knicks' hopes alive.
Indiana also took a major blow when Nesmith exited with a sprained ankle midway through the third quarter. He had been one of the Pacers’ most efficient offensive weapons in the series, shooting 13-of-20 from the field and an incredible 10-of-12 from beyond the arc in the first two games.
However, he struggled, going just 2-of-8 from the field. While he returned in the fourth quarter, he failed to score or put any real pressure on the Knicks’ defense. His reappearance in Game 3 suggests he’ll likely suit up for Game 4 on Tuesday, but with games every other day, the recovery window remains tight.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points for the Pacers, but the team struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5-of-25 from deep. They were also outscored 36-20 in the fourth quarter, allowing the Knicks to complete their comeback.
