Karl-Anthony Towns has been huge for the New York Knicks all season long, and his efforts were rewarded with an All-NBA Third Team nod — the third of his career. However, Towns hasn't been at his best yet against the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. He was benched down the stretch in Game 2 and had himself a nightmare first half in Game 3. But Towns had the last laugh on Sunday night, dropping 20 points in the fourth quarter to serve as the catalyst behind the Knicks' comeback from 20 points down en route to a 106-100 win.

Towns was called out for playing passively in the first half, and he was undone by a few sloppy fouls that he tends to pick up. But in the fourth quarter, it seemed like a switch was flipped in the Knicks star's head. He was destroying the Pacers off the dribble and was the best player on the court in a quarter where it looked like the fate of the Knicks' season was on the line.

Now hailed as the hero for the Knicks in Game 3, Josh Hart, who himself had a few huge moments towards the end of their huge win on Sunday, commended Towns for carrying the team on his back.

“He's a tough matchup, I feel like, for anybody in the league. When he has it going like that, it's great for us because it opens up so many things,” Hart told reporters following the game, via SNY's Knicks Videos on X (formerly Twitter). “We need that aggression from him all the time, offensively.”

The job is far from over for the Knicks, of course. While avoiding a 3-0 death sentence was crucial, going down 3-1 is not that far off. Thus, Towns will have to be at his best yet again on Tuesday.

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Knicks rely on team basketball in Game 3 win

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during 4th
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Towns deservedly has gotten most of the plaudits for lifting the Knicks in their completion of their comeback from 20 points down. But the Knicks, with Jalen Brunson in foul trouble, had to rely on a few unsung heroes to get the job done against the Pacers.

Landry Shamet and Delon Wright both had their moments; Shamet, in particular, gave the Knicks some life with his energy and was a plus-12 on the night. Hart also took his benching in stride and responded with a monster night on the glass, hauling in 10 huge boards and coming up huge in the clutch to prevent the Pacers from mounting another miracle comeback.