2025 NBA Draft: Who gets taken with the No. 3 pick, Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe?

The 2025 NBA Draft starts at No. 3.

The first two spots are a lock: Duke’s Cooper Flagg is going No. 1 to Dallas (there is zero chance they trade this pick) and Rutgers’ Dylan Harper will be taken No. 2, very likely by San Antonio (the Spurs will listen to trade offers, but unless it’s a Giannis Antetokounmpo-level deal they will hold on to the pick).

In NBC Sports’ latest 2025 NBA Mock Draft, we have Rutgers’ Ace Bailey going No. 3 to Philadelphia and Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe going No. 4 to Charlotte. While that is the most likely outcome, those two picks are far less certain.

Bailey no lock at No. 3

The main reason there is uncertainty about Bailey going No. 3 is that there is uncertainty about who will be drafting third. Thanks to the lucky bounces of the lottery ping-pong balls, the Philadelphia 76ers own that pick and are open to trading down. This is a win-now team run by Daryl Morey, someone who never shies away from a bold move.

While drafting Bailey to pair with younger star Tyrese Maxey and the promising Jared McCain would create a clear future timeline for the team, the 76ers have Joel Embiid and Paul George on the roster now and are committed to winning with them. If a trade is presented that makes Philly a more dangerous threat in what should be a wide-open East next season, Morey will have to strongly consider it.

That team moving up to that third pick may feel differently about Bailey, who is a polarizing player, something ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote about in their latest mock draft.

“Bailey has remained polarizing for NBA executives all season, with the wide understanding that he’ll need time to adjust before contributing winning minutes on a good team. There are varying levels of confidence around the NBA as to whether he will reach his ceiling ultimately, creating a layer of risk that has held him back from becoming the consensus option at No. 3.”

The question isn’t Bailey’s potential — he might have the second-highest ceiling of any player in this draft (behind Flagg). Bailey checks all the boxes of a prototypical modern NBA wing or stretch four: Good size at 6’8″, freak athlete, creates his own shot, and can shoot the 3. He averaged 18.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season.

What makes him polarizing is that some executives and scouts doubt his ability to live up to that potential. He lived on a diet of tough shots at Rutgers, and while he made them that is harder to do against defenders at the next level. He didn’t draw a lot of fouls and shot 69.2% from the line. While he could be a future All-Star if he plays a simplified game and focuses on efficiency, some executives and scouts fear that he may not do so and become a role player who never lives up to the hype.

Edgecombe brings two-way play

Edgecombe had “an excellent interview with the Hornets,” reports Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports. He seems a natural fit in Charlotte as the two guard between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller because he is arguably the best athlete in this class and is an elite defender (which is needed next to Ball), plus he shot 36.4% from 3 last season. Edgecombe can get out in transition and moves well off the ball, which would be a hand-in-glove fit with Ball.

If he gets to No. 3.

A team that trades up to the No. 3 spot may be more interested in the athleticism, two-way play and higher floor of Edgecombe over having to work to develop Bailey. If so, they could take Edgecombe third and leave Bailey to Charlotte. Some mock drafts see it that way, although it’s difficult to pick because it depends on who has the No. 3 selection when Adam Silver walks to the podium.

At the draft, upside tends to win out — when picking as high as third, GMs don’t want to pass on the potential future All-Star. Doing so could lead to hard questions in a couple of years from fans and ownership about why they made the pick they did. It’s not a good look for a guy trying to hang onto his job. Which is why Bailey likely goes third, but it is far from a lock. And a lot depends on draft-night trades that could shake up the top of the board.

Nets 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup: What will Brooklyn do with four first-round picks?

The Nets own four first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, including the No. 8 overall pick after falling in the lottery.

It’s the first time the Nets have had a lottery pick since the 2010 NBA Draft when they selected Derrick Favors at No. 3 overall.

After a 26-54 season, how will GM Sean Marks use the draft capital he’s acquired to rebuild Brooklyn’s roster?

Here’s what the draft experts have the Nets doing on June 25…


Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, ESPN

No. 8: SG/SF Kon Knueppel, Duke

Height without shoes: 6-foot-5

Weight: 219 pounds

Age: 19

Count the Nets among the many disappointed lottery teams, dropping two spots from No. 6 to No. 8 after San Antonio and Dallas jumped.

Brooklyn has veteran players, including Cameron Johnson, four first-round picks in this draft and future assets to dangle if it wants to move higher in the lottery. Teams expect the Nets, who are also operating in the interest of present and future cap space, to consolidate some of what they have.

Knueppel’s reliable offensive play and high-level shooting would be a nice building block for the Nets, with his skill set augmenting most lineups no matter how they choose to build long term. League insiders see additional scoring and playmaking upside from the consistent wing.

There’s also an interesting case for selecting and developing a young ball handler such as Egor Demin or Kasparas Jakucionis, or going with the offensive upside of Derik Queen, if the Nets stay at this spot. — Woo

No. 19 (via Bucks): C Thomas Sorber, Georgetown

Height without shoes: 6-foot-9 1/4

Weight: 262 pounds

Age: 19

With the second of their four first-round picks, the Nets could go in many directions, likely taking swings on talent while considering the importance of acquiring size in a league that has swayed back toward seriously valuing big men.

Sorber isn’t expected to conduct on-court activity during the predraft process as he recovers from foot surgery in February. Still, his strong feel for the game, defensive versatility, length, physicality and skill level as a pick-and-roll finisher are attractive qualities at 19 years old that should draw plenty of attention in this portion of the draft.

In Chicago, his wingspan was measured at 7-6, allowing him to play much bigger than his height (6-10½ in shoes). — Givony

No. 26 (via Knicks): PF/C Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB/Michigan

Height without shoes: 6-foot-8 1/2

Weight: 234 pounds

Age: 22

Rival teams expect the Nets to explore moving one or both of these picks in the 20s, as they manage their roster and salary cap situation to best position themselves moving forward.

Lendeborg faced one of the highest-profile, stay-or-go decisions among prospects at the combine, measuring quite well and turning in a solid, if not spectacular, showing in scrimmages, with Michigan coach Dusty May and members of his staff in Chicago to support him. NBA teams are aware Lendeborg has a multimillion-dollar NIL package to attend Michigan next season, and it wasn’t clear by the end of the week as to whether he had done enough to secure the type of guarantee that might keep him in the draft.

He was highly productive last season at UAB and will step into a huge role with the Wolverines as the ostensible replacement for Danny Wolf, giving him an opportunity to improve his draft stock if he withdraws now. — Woo

No. 27 (via Rockets): PF Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s

Height without shoes: 6-foot-8 1/4

Weight: 232 pounds

Age: 20

The Nets might not be the team selecting here, which would make these picks in the late 20s interesting swing spots.

Fleming didn’t participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages at the combine, but had impressive measurements. His excellent size and how effectively he scored this season for Saint Joseph’s give him some attractive role-player qualities.

As a late-blooming player who is still lacking in ball skills and overall awareness at times, Fleming is more of a developmental addition than a true plug-and-play option in the late first round. — Woo

Mar 15, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; Saint Joseph’s Hawks forward Rasheer Fleming (13) shoots the ball over George Mason forward Shawn Simmons II (10) in the first half at Capital One Arena. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report

No. 8: PF Noa Essengue, France

Height: 6-foot-9

Weight: 194 pounds

Age: 18

Big scoring outputs are becoming more common for Noa Essengue in the German BBL.

The easy baskets off rim runs, cuts and offensive rebounds have been consistent all season. But he’s looking more comfortable converting off self-created drives and knocking down rhythm threes.

His improving on-ball skill and rising offensive production are becoming notable draft storylines, considering he’s the draft’s second-youngest prospect who also offers exciting defensive tools and movement.

No. 19 (via Bucks): PG/SG Jase Richardson, Michigan State

Height without shoes: 6-foot 1/2

Weight: 178 pounds

Age: 19

Jase Richardson’s 6’0.5″ barefoot measurements could scare a few teams, particularly since his skill set is better suited for the 2-guard position. However, his shooting, touch, finishing and decision-making may all be sharp enough for Richardson to get by and still thrive while undersized.

No. 26 (via Knicks): PG Nolan Traore, France

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 174 pounds

Age: 19

Nolan Traore is in the midst of one of his best stretches of the season. He’s going to enter the draft with the field’s highest assist percentage regardless, but now he’s confidently stepping into three-point makes and creating for himself with visible decisiveness.

Shooting struggles and inefficiency caused by athletic limitations had scared scouts off. But the bar was awfully high entering the season. And now the 18-year-old has looked highly effective generating offense as a starting point guard in Pro A.

No. 27 (via Rockets): SG/SF Drake Powell, North Carolina

Height without shoes: 6-foot-5 1/4

Weight: 200 pounds

Age: 19

Teams figure to put extra stock into Drake Powell’s NBA combine performance and workouts after he spent the year spotting up 49.2 percent of North Carolina’s possessions and taking just 5.7 shots per game.

Despite the lack of production, there could still be first-round interest based on his outstanding physical profile, defensive projection and 37.9 percent three-point shooting.

Mar 14, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Drake Powell (9) during the first half against the Duke Blue Devils at Spectrum Center. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo! Sports

No. 8: PF Noa Essengue, France

Height: 6-foot-9

Weight: 194 pounds

Age: 18

Essengue is a toolsy forward with a fluid handle, dynamic finishing package and highly versatile defense. Though he’s a raw Frenchman, he’s starting to string together his best run of the season. Over the last two months, he’s making 80% of his free throws. Though his success isn’t translating beyond the arc (29% over this same stretch), it’s at least encouraging his shooting is continuing to progress. Because it’s his one big flaw. Otherwise, the 6-foot-9 forward has clear upside across the board, and that’s why he’s rising up draft boards. Brooklyn has a clean slate of a future, so it’d only make sense to take a big swing.

No. 19 (via Bucks): PG/SG Egor Demin, BYU

Height without shoes: 6-foot-9 1/4

Weight: 199 pounds

Age: 19

Demin has one of the widest ranges in this draft class with people around the league seeing him as an option from anywhere in the mid-lottery to the late teens. The Nets would certainly be happy to take a swing on his rare ability at his size to make dazzling passes. Even though he struggled to shoot and create his own shot against lengthy defenders, he did perform well at the draft combine and is said to be excelling in pre-draft workouts with his tweaked shooting mechanics.

No. 26 (via Knicks): C Thomas Sorber, Georgetown

Height without shoes: 6-foot-9 1/4

Weight: 262 pounds

Age: 19

Sorber has a brick-house frame and the throwback skill-set to match with strong screens, soft-touch finishes and gritty drop-coverage instincts. But to be more than a role player, he needs to tap into the flashes he shows as a shooter while also improving his perimeter defense. Sorber may not make it this far on draft night, but he’d end up giving the Nets a center for the long term.

No. 27 (via Rockets): PG/SG Ben Saraf, Israel

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 201 pounds

Age: 19

The Nets have five top-36 picks. Are they really going to keep all of these? I doubt it. But regardless of what Brooklyn does, drafting one or multiple guards could make some sense since this roster is a clean slate. Saraf is a crafty lefty playmaker who relies on guile, footwork and body control. Limited shooting and athleticism could cap his upside, but his positional size and skill could be hard to pass up.

Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6: Tyrese Haliburton said there’s ‘no need to panic’ — but did New York figure something out?

INDIANAPOLIS — Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are now feeling the passion of the Knicks’ praise. (He’d probably prefer a nice note, or an Edible Arrangement, or something.)

For the first time in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, New York took a page out of Indiana’s book in Game 5, applying defensive pressure on the opponent’s All-NBA ball-handler in the backcourt rather than allowing him to bring the ball up the floor unabated and get the Pacers into their offense:

The tactical adjustment by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t shock Haliburton, who’s seen more than his fair share of 94-foot defensive affection from opposing defenses throughout his rise to stardom in Indiana — especially given the elevated stakes at which these two teams are playing, with a berth in the 2025 NBA Finals on the line.

“I mean, we’re up 3-1. Their season’s on the line,” Haliburton said after the Knicks’ 111-94 win in Game 5 to extend this series, forcing a Game 6 back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night. “So we understand they’re going to come out and play hard, increase their pressure, and do whatever they’ve got to do to win. They did a great job of that, and now it’s on us to respond in Game 6.”

How the Pacers — and Haliburton specifically — respond will likely determine whether Indiana clinches its first NBA Finals berth since 2000, or finds itself once again boarding a plane bound for New York to face Game 7 at Madison Square Garden come Monday.

Games 4 and 5 offered a pretty perfect snapshot of the yin and yang of Haliburton’s game. On one night, he’s flawless, overwhelming, all-consuming, suffusing every Pacer possession with electricity and efficiency. He injects the energy into the game, making monster waves and then surfing atop them as they crash over a helpless defense. And on the next, because of the unerring purity of his offensive approach — “You know, he’s a point guard by nature,” head coach Rick Carlisle said before Game 3, “a classic point guard by nature, a guy running a team” — Haliburton can find himself getting swept away with the tide.

“Yeah, rough night for me,” said Haliburton, who finished with just eight points (his second-fewest of the postseason, and his 13th single-digit game of the season) on just seven field-goal attempts (just the fifth time all season he’s taken so few). “I gotta be better setting the tone, getting downhill. I feel like I didn’t do a good job of that.”

The numbers back up Haliburton’s self-assessment. After averaging nearly 11 drives to the basket per game during the regular season, more than 11 per game through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and 13 a game through the first four games against New York, he logged only nine in Game 5, leading to just two baskets, one drawn foul and zero assists.

“Sometimes, it was probably a combination of him missing some shots he normally makes,” Thibodeau said after the game. “But I thought our guys were tied together, trying to make him work for everything. That’s what you have to do. We have to fight to win every possession.”

A lot of the credit for Haliburton’s quieter performance belongs to Mikal Bridges. The Knicks swingman turned in his strongest defensive game of the series with precisely that kind of fight-to-win-every-possession approach, deploying both his length and seemingly limitless gas tank to shadow Haliburton the full length and width of the court with more physicality, intention and presence than he’d managed through the first four games.

“Mikal did a great job,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “We’re asking a lot from ’Kal. He’s picking him up, running around with him. Tyrese is someone who never really stops moving. He’ll bring the ball down, he’ll hit, he’ll run off of it, he’ll get the [ball] back, he’ll throw it back to the big, he’ll run back. ’Kal did a great job today trying to be physical, trying to be on his body and not give him anything easy.”

Combine that with more attentive positioning by big men Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns, loading into the gaps to stop the ball and prevent Haliburton from consistently touching the paint, and better communication behind the play by New York’s help defenders, and you’ve got a recipe for throwing a little bit of sand in the gears of what’s largely been a smoothly humming Pacers offensive machine:

“It’s a contagious feeling,” Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said at the team’s Saturday shootaround ahead of Game 6. “When you see something like that and you see one of your teammates picking up and playing as hard as he is, that’s contagious. 

“Obviously, Tyrese is a hell of a player and we have to figure out ways to slow him down, so when you see Mikal doing stuff like that, or anyone picking him up full court, we just know we’ve gotta obviously give it our all on each and every possession.”

Part of the problem for Haliburton stemmed from the Knicks’ evolving understanding of the logic by which the Pacers’ particular machine operates.

As soon as Haliburton saw Bridges picking him up full-court, he did what his classic, natural, pure point guard brain understood to be the next right thing, the proper prescribed play: getting off the ball early and trying to leverage Bridges’ one-on-one face-guarding coverage by moving out of the play, creating the opp for his teammates to attack 4-on-4.

It’s a strategy the Pacers have employed for the past couple of seasons when teams have tried to get in Haliburton’s kitchen like this, including in Round 2 against the Cavaliers; it’s one of the reasons why Andrew Nembhard, Haliburton’s backcourt partner, is finishing nearly nine possessions per game in this postseason as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, according to Synergy Sports. It’s something that Indiana knows full well how to attack and exploit.

Or, at least, that it does most of the time. In this specific matchup, and at this specific stage of it, pulling the right levers might be a little trickier.

See, three games ago, the Knicks changed their starting lineup, moving Hart — Nembhard’s primary defender in Games 1 and 2to the bench and Robinson into the first five. That decision shook a lot of things up: With Robinson slotting in against Pacers center Myles Turner, Towns bumped down to power forward and slid over to defend opposing 4 Pascal Siakam … which, in turn, slid Siakam’s man, OG Anunoby, over to Nembhard.

In Games 1 and 2, Nembhard averaged 13.5 points and three assists per game on 61.1% shooting. Since the shift? Just six points per game on 5-for-26 shooting (19.2%) and 2.3 helpers a night. Turns out it might be tougher to run offense through your secondary ball-handler when he’s guarded by a 6-foot-7, 235-pound All-Defensive Team-caliber stopper — especially one who’s perfectly comfortable switching onto Turner if you want to run some 2-5 pick-and-roll, and whose multipositional flexibility makes him an ideal choice to scram-switch any teammate (including the frequently targeted Brunson) out of a potentially damaging matchup created out of that 4-on-4 realignment.

With Bridges’ pressure and Haliburton’s response to relieve it minimizing the effectiveness of Plan A, and Anunoby-on-Nembhard effectively scuttling its Plan B, the Pacers were left to try to scrounge up points elsewhere. Sometimes, they were successful: a Siakam turnaround fadeaway over Towns; a T.J. McConnell pull-up 3; a tough driving runner by Turner; Bennedict Mathurin creating in isolation on his way to a team-high 23 points.

You have to live with something, though, and the Knicks would much rather live with Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker trying to create one-on-one than Haliburton manipulating the chessboard. When everybody else has to try to make plays, you can get outcomes like 40.5% shooting for the best-shooting team in the playoffs, and just 20 assists against 20 turnovers — both the Pacers’ worst showings of the postseason.

That’s clearly not the game script that Carlisle wants. The challenge ahead of Game 6? Writing another one.

One that can find fresh weaknesses in the Knicks’ shifted approach, and maybe a way to restore Nembhard’s auxiliary function despite the Anunoby matchup. One that can get Siakam (15 points on 5-for-13 shots in Game 5) back to the kind of game-plan-wrecking monster he was in Game 2 — and, ideally, get the Pacers back to Plan A: Haliburton conducting the symphony.

“As a team, we have to be aggressive, and we have to have a level of balance,” Carlisle said after Game 5. “I mean, I’ll look at it. There’s more things I’m going to have to do to help him, and so, I’ll take responsibility for that and we’ll see where we can improve.”

The Knicks will have to be ready for those improvements: for changes in tempo, in angle of attack and, perhaps most importantly, in sheer physical force. To whatever degree Indiana let off the gas in Game 5, knowing that it had two more chances to sew this series up, you can bet that the pedal will once again be mashed firmly to the floor in Game 6. The Knicks are playing for their lives; if they want the Pacers to join them, they’ll have to not just replicate that defensive effort, but crank it up even further.

“We have to, you know? I mean, we have to,” Towns said after Game 5. “We have no more room for error. Our backs are against the wall, and every game is do or die. So if we don’t bring that energy, if we don’t bring that execution, our season will be over.”

The Knicks’ counterpunch kept them alive. Haliburton exited Game 5, though, confident in his team’s ability to parry, and punch its ticket to Oklahoma City.

“After a game like that, we understand what the stakes are, and we understand the conversation, what it will be around our group,” Haliburton said. “But we’re fine. We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything. … I think the great part about this group and our staff is, everybody’s addicted to film study and figuring out where we can get better. Coach Carlisle’s a savant at that stuff. After a game like that, I know he’s gonna be all over the film, I’m gonna be all over the film, and we’ll be talking a lot.”

Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6: Tyrese Haliburton said there’s ‘no need to panic’ — but did New York figure something out?

INDIANAPOLIS — Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are now feeling the passion of the Knicks’ praise. (He’d probably prefer a nice note, or an Edible Arrangement, or something.)

For the first time in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, New York took a page out of Indiana’s book in Game 5, applying defensive pressure on the opponent’s All-NBA ball-handler in the backcourt rather than allowing him to bring the ball up the floor unabated and get the Pacers into their offense:

The tactical adjustment by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t shock Haliburton, who’s seen more than his fair share of 94-foot defensive affection from opposing defenses throughout his rise to stardom in Indiana — especially given the elevated stakes at which these two teams are playing, with a berth in the 2025 NBA Finals on the line.

“I mean, we’re up 3-1. Their season’s on the line,” Haliburton said after the Knicks’ 111-94 win in Game 5 to extend this series, forcing a Game 6 back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night. “So we understand they’re going to come out and play hard, increase their pressure, and do whatever they’ve got to do to win. They did a great job of that, and now it’s on us to respond in Game 6.”

How the Pacers — and Haliburton specifically — respond will likely determine whether Indiana clinches its first NBA Finals berth since 2000, or finds itself once again boarding a plane bound for New York to face Game 7 at Madison Square Garden come Monday.

Games 4 and 5 offered a pretty perfect snapshot of the yin and yang of Haliburton’s game. On one night, he’s flawless, overwhelming, all-consuming, suffusing every Pacer possession with electricity and efficiency. He injects the energy into the game, making monster waves and then surfing atop them as they crash over a helpless defense. And on the next, because of the unerring purity of his offensive approach — “You know, he’s a point guard by nature,” head coach Rick Carlisle said before Game 3, “a classic point guard by nature, a guy running a team” — Haliburton can find himself getting swept away with the tide.

“Yeah, rough night for me,” said Haliburton, who finished with just eight points (his second-fewest of the postseason, and his 13th single-digit game of the season) on just seven field-goal attempts (just the fifth time all season he’s taken so few). “I gotta be better setting the tone, getting downhill. I feel like I didn’t do a good job of that.”

The numbers back up Haliburton’s self-assessment. After averaging nearly 11 drives to the basket per game during the regular season, more than 11 per game through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and 13 a game through the first four games against New York, he logged only nine in Game 5, leading to just two baskets, one drawn foul and zero assists.

“Sometimes, it was probably a combination of him missing some shots he normally makes,” Thibodeau said after the game. “But I thought our guys were tied together, trying to make him work for everything. That’s what you have to do. We have to fight to win every possession.”

A lot of the credit for Haliburton’s quieter performance belongs to Mikal Bridges. The Knicks swingman turned in his strongest defensive game of the series with precisely that kind of fight-to-win-every-possession approach, deploying both his length and seemingly limitless gas tank to shadow Haliburton the full length and width of the court with more physicality, intention and presence than he’d managed through the first four games.

“Mikal did a great job,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “We’re asking a lot from ’Kal. He’s picking him up, running around with him. Tyrese is someone who never really stops moving. He’ll bring the ball down, he’ll hit, he’ll run off of it, he’ll get the [ball] back, he’ll throw it back to the big, he’ll run back. ’Kal did a great job today trying to be physical, trying to be on his body and not give him anything easy.”

Combine that with more attentive positioning by big men Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns, loading into the gaps to stop the ball and prevent Haliburton from consistently touching the paint, and better communication behind the play by New York’s help defenders, and you’ve got a recipe for throwing a little bit of sand in the gears of what’s largely been a smoothly humming Pacers offensive machine:

“It’s a contagious feeling,” Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said at the team’s Saturday shootaround ahead of Game 6. “When you see something like that and you see one of your teammates picking up and playing as hard as he is, that’s contagious. 

“Obviously, Tyrese is a hell of a player and we have to figure out ways to slow him down, so when you see Mikal doing stuff like that, or anyone picking him up full court, we just know we’ve gotta obviously give it our all on each and every possession.”

Part of the problem for Haliburton stemmed from the Knicks’ evolving understanding of the logic by which the Pacers’ particular machine operates.

As soon as Haliburton saw Bridges picking him up full-court, he did what his classic, natural, pure point guard brain understood to be the next right thing, the proper prescribed play: getting off the ball early and trying to leverage Bridges’ one-on-one face-guarding coverage by moving out of the play, creating the opp for his teammates to attack 4-on-4.

It’s a strategy the Pacers have employed for the past couple of seasons when teams have tried to get in Haliburton’s kitchen like this, including in Round 2 against the Cavaliers; it’s one of the reasons why Andrew Nembhard, Haliburton’s backcourt partner, is finishing nearly nine possessions per game in this postseason as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, according to Synergy Sports. It’s something that Indiana knows full well how to attack and exploit.

Or, at least, that it does most of the time. In this specific matchup, and at this specific stage of it, pulling the right levers might be a little trickier.

See, three games ago, the Knicks changed their starting lineup, moving Hart — Nembhard’s primary defender in Games 1 and 2to the bench and Robinson into the first five. That decision shook a lot of things up: With Robinson slotting in against Pacers center Myles Turner, Towns bumped down to power forward and slid over to defend opposing 4 Pascal Siakam … which, in turn, slid Siakam’s man, OG Anunoby, over to Nembhard.

In Games 1 and 2, Nembhard averaged 13.5 points and three assists per game on 61.1% shooting. Since the shift? Just six points per game on 5-for-26 shooting (19.2%) and 2.3 helpers a night. Turns out it might be tougher to run offense through your secondary ball-handler when he’s guarded by a 6-foot-7, 235-pound All-Defensive Team-caliber stopper — especially one who’s perfectly comfortable switching onto Turner if you want to run some 2-5 pick-and-roll, and whose multipositional flexibility makes him an ideal choice to scram-switch any teammate (including the frequently targeted Brunson) out of a potentially damaging matchup created out of that 4-on-4 realignment.

With Bridges’ pressure and Haliburton’s response to relieve it minimizing the effectiveness of Plan A, and Anunoby-on-Nembhard effectively scuttling its Plan B, the Pacers were left to try to scrounge up points elsewhere. Sometimes, they were successful: a Siakam turnaround fadeaway over Towns; a T.J. McConnell pull-up 3; a tough driving runner by Turner; Bennedict Mathurin creating in isolation on his way to a team-high 23 points.

You have to live with something, though, and the Knicks would much rather live with Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker trying to create one-on-one than Haliburton manipulating the chessboard. When everybody else has to try to make plays, you can get outcomes like 40.5% shooting for the best-shooting team in the playoffs, and just 20 assists against 20 turnovers — both the Pacers’ worst showings of the postseason.

That’s clearly not the game script that Carlisle wants. The challenge ahead of Game 6? Writing another one.

One that can find fresh weaknesses in the Knicks’ shifted approach, and maybe a way to restore Nembhard’s auxiliary function despite the Anunoby matchup. One that can get Siakam (15 points on 5-for-13 shots in Game 5) back to the kind of game-plan-wrecking monster he was in Game 2 — and, ideally, get the Pacers back to Plan A: Haliburton conducting the symphony.

“As a team, we have to be aggressive, and we have to have a level of balance,” Carlisle said after Game 5. “I mean, I’ll look at it. There’s more things I’m going to have to do to help him, and so, I’ll take responsibility for that and we’ll see where we can improve.”

The Knicks will have to be ready for those improvements: for changes in tempo, in angle of attack and, perhaps most importantly, in sheer physical force. To whatever degree Indiana let off the gas in Game 5, knowing that it had two more chances to sew this series up, you can bet that the pedal will once again be mashed firmly to the floor in Game 6. The Knicks are playing for their lives; if they want the Pacers to join them, they’ll have to not just replicate that defensive effort, but crank it up even further.

“We have to, you know? I mean, we have to,” Towns said after Game 5. “We have no more room for error. Our backs are against the wall, and every game is do or die. So if we don’t bring that energy, if we don’t bring that execution, our season will be over.”

The Knicks’ counterpunch kept them alive. Haliburton exited Game 5, though, confident in his team’s ability to parry, and punch its ticket to Oklahoma City.

“After a game like that, we understand what the stakes are, and we understand the conversation, what it will be around our group,” Haliburton said. “But we’re fine. We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything. … I think the great part about this group and our staff is, everybody’s addicted to film study and figuring out where we can get better. Coach Carlisle’s a savant at that stuff. After a game like that, I know he’s gonna be all over the film, I’m gonna be all over the film, and we’ll be talking a lot.”