The question now is, can they repeat it two more times?
Throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, we’ve been waiting for New York to ramp up its defensive intensity across the board, to be the more physical team and drag the game down into the mud, where it could win. Instead, for three of the four games, Indiana was the more physical team. Surprisingly, Tyrese Haliburton has been more physical than Jalen Brunson. The Pacers were given enough room to run their free-flowing offense, which is elite when Haliburton is scoring, then driving into the paint and then finding cutters or kicking out to shooters.
Thursday night, the Knicks brought a swarming defensive energy they had only shown in flashes this series — they were up in the bodies of the Pacers, bothering them. Mitchell Robinson helped lead that, but even the bench guys like Landry Shamet — not a guy exactly known for his defense — were swarming guys and making plays.
LANDRY SHAMET FORCES THE TURNOVER AND HYPES UP THE CROWD
“I’m just very proud of what we did,” Brunson said after the game. “Now, we’ve just got to replicate it in the first quarter of next game and then continue to build on that.”
Knicks comeback blueprint
Brunson is right. For the Knicks to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since The Matrix was in theaters, they need to build off of what we saw in Game 5 and be better than they were in that blowout win. New York needs to execute under pressure and take care of the ball, limiting turnovers (they still had 15 Thursday night), and they need guys like OG Anunoby (3-of-14 in Game 5) and Duece McBride (3-of-10 on open 3-pointers in this series) to step up and hit shots.
New York also needs to carry over a lot of things from Game 5. This attacking version of Karl-Anthony Towns has to show up.
On the other end of the court, Brunson and the Knicks were more aggressive in taking the ball out of Haliburton’s hands, and in the face of that, Haliburton was passive. He was not seeking out his shots — he took just seven for the game — instead, he was driving to pass, which threw the entire team off balance. With Haliburton struggling, nobody else stepped up. Myles Turner turned the ball over twice early and was off all night. Indiana’s execution was lacking in the way the Knicks’ execution was lacking in other games this series. Thursday night it was Indiana being sloppy with the ball.
(Note to the Pacers: If you thought the Knicks’ physical, swarming defense was an issue, I’d like to introduce you to the Oklahoma City Thunder. You ain’t seen nothing yet.)
For the Knicks to win this series, that defensive pressure has to keep Indiana on its heels and off-balance. The Pacers will play better at home, New York can’t let up.
Tom Thibodeau must continue to trust his bench — including Shamet, Hart, Delon Wright, and Precious Achiuwa, whose minutes all matter in keeping their stars fresh.
Additionally, Brunson has to continue to be the best player on the court. He was the aggressor on this night and led the Knicks in getting downhill and scoring 60 points in the paint on 58.8% shooting. New York had eight and-1s in the game. Brunson was himself again.
Don’t expect passivity from the Pacers at home in Game 6 on Saturday night — with the home crowd behind them, they should be able to match the desperation of the Knicks. It’s tempting to say that Game 6 is Indiana’s Game 7, that they have to close it out because they can’t win a Game 7 in Madison Square Garden — except they did that just a year ago, when they blew out the Knicks by 21 in a Game 7 in Manhattan.
Still, the Pacers don’t want a return trip to New York, Game 7s can be random. Indiana wants to close it out.
New York now has the blueprint to stop that and come all the way back and win the series. Whether they can execute it will be the question.
I’m happy to pinch hit on this week’s fantasy baseball waiver wire column, as recommending players for pickup is one of my favorite parts of this job. And since I rarely get a chance to recommend pickups, I’m going to make the names plentiful and the explanations brief. Hopefully there is something for everyone. Enjoy.
Weathers has looked great since returning from the IL, posting a 1.15 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP and a 15:4 K:BB ratio across three starts. Even more impressive, two of his appearances came against the high-scoring Cubs, and his third outing was against a respectable Padres offense. The 25-year-old’s velocity has improved on all of his frequently used offerings, and there is a real chance that he is rostered in 75% of leagues by the end of June.
Hayden Birdsong, SP/RP, San Francisco Giants, 34%
Birdsong struggled to keep runs off the board when he was scored on three times in 4.2 innings against the Tigers last time out. But he still had a solid 6:2 K:BB ratio in that start, and he kept the ball in the yard. Birdsong’s swing-and-miss skills (career 10.6 K/9 rate) give him plenty of upside, and he should fare much better when he faces the Marlins (19th in baseball in runs scored) on Sunday. Head-to-head managers could get over the top this week by grabbing Birdsong now.
Cade Horton, SP, Chicago Cubs, 27%
Managers who look ahead to next week will find that the two-start streamers are a weak group. Horton is far from a sure thing, but he has been consistent en route to posting a 3.98 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP and a 16:4 K:BB ratio across four starts. The rookie has talent, and he is backed by baseball’s most productive lineup. Horton has reasonable matchups next week (Nationals, Tigers) and is worth stashing in head-to-head leagues.
Logan Henderson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers, 30%
This is a rarity, as I’m recommending Henderson after he was sent to the Minors. The rookie is arguably Milwaukee’s best starter, having produced a 1.71 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and a 29:6 K:BB ratio across four starts. The team sent him back to Triple-A due to the anticipated return of some veteran starters, but there is no way that they can leave Henderson on the farm for long. After all, the Brewers sit at 29-28 and are 3.5 games out of a wild-card spot. The guess here is that stashing Henderson now will lead to having an impactful starter in a couple weeks.
Camilo Doval, RP, San Francisco Giants, 54%
Managers in shallow leagues should be scrambling to add Doval, who is more desirable than several relievers who are 70% rostered. The Giants named the right-hander as their closer on Wednesday, shuttling Ryan Walker back to the setup role where he thrived for much of his career. Doval has shown that he can handle the job (89 saves across 2022-24) and is pitching well this year (1.16 ERA, 0.73 WHIP). He could get 25 saves between now and the end of the season.
Will Vest, RP, Detroit Tigers, 44%
Although the Tigers do not have a full-time closer, Vest continues to work high-leverage innings more often than anyone on the team. The right-hander has pitched well in his key role (28:9 K:BB ratio), which has led to four wins and seven saves. He has been the ninth most valuable reliever to this point in the season and should be rostered in twice as many leagues.
Daniel Palencia, RP, Chicago Cubs, 33%
Don’t look now, but the Cubs may have finally found a closer. Valencia has picked up saves in each of his past four appearances, after Ryan Pressly struggled in the ninth inning and Porter Hodge was both inconsistent and injured. The 25-year-old does not have a strong MLB track record, but he has been solid this year (1.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP) and will be valuable in any league while working the ninth inning for baseball’s highest scoring team. Truthfully, I don’t expect Valencia to keep this role all summer, but I would add him now and see where this goes.
Brett Baty, 2B/3B, New York Mets, 17%
Baty has earned an everyday role by crushing the baseball of late, having hit .281 with five homers and 13 RBI in May. And this is a great time to target a Mets hitter, as the team is scheduled to face the Rockies (5.55 team ERA) in six of their next 10 games. Baty is the best option among the widely-available Mets, but Francisco Alvarez (20%) and Jeff McNeil (3%) are players to consider as well.
Ryan O’Hearn, 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles, 49%
Sometimes, boring can be good. O’Hearn is the definition of boring — he’s 31 years old, has a career high of 15 home runs and rarely steals bases. But he is still serviceable, as he draws most of his plate appearances out of the heart of the lineup and has been the Orioles best hitter (.338 BA, .977 OPS) this season. O’Hearn has been especially hot in May (1.023 OPS) and should be active in most leagues until he cools off. This is a great time to give the left-handed hitter a chance, as the O’s will face right-handers in each of their next six games, including three contests against the lowly White Sox.
Gavin Sheets, 1B/OF, San Diego Padres, 36%
Sheets is emerging as one of the best platoon bats in baseball, having hit .288 with 10 homers, 31 RBI and an .885 OPS in 151 plate appearances against right-handers. And his best work has come of late, as he’s collected eight homers and 22 RBI in May. Sheets is the perfect bench bat in leagues with daily transactions, as managers can stream him into the lineup on days when the Padres face a right-hander.
With the Indiana Pacers just one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals, the team couldn’t get it done in Game 5. The New York Knicks fought back, winning the contest 111-94 and pushing the series to 3-2.
It was a welcome sign for New York, which had mostly looked overmatched in previous games of the series. It may have also been a turning point for the Knicks, who finally have some momentum as the series shifts to Game 6 Saturday in Indianapolis.
TNT analyst Charles Barkley may have summed it up best after Game 5, when he called Game 6 a “must-win” for the Pacers. His reasoning: If the Pacers drop two straight games and then have to go play a Game 7 in New York, the Knicks have a massive advantage.
That puts a lot of pressure on the Pacers to finish the job in Game 6. Given what’s at stake, that amount of pressure could prove overwhelming. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton won’t let that happen.
Following Indiana’s Game 5 loss, Haliburton urged his teammates to stay calm as the series heads to a Game 6, per ESPN.
“We’re a resilient group,” Haliburton said after the game. “We always want to respond when things don’t go well after a game like that. We understand what the stakes are. … We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything.”
That’s probably exactly what the Pacers need to hear after a disappointing performance in Game 5. Frustrations already seemed to be boiling over after the loss, as Pascal Siakam got into an awkward exchange with a reporter who questioned the Pacers’ effort during the contest.
“You good bro?… Who is this guy?” 😳👀
Awkward exchange between Pascal Siakam and this reporter after Pacers Game 5 loss 😬 pic.twitter.com/t3Y5bEeGhu
Throughout the entire playoffs, the Pacers have thrived on their ability to be calm in tense situations. The team has pulled off multiple late-game comebacks in the postseason so far, showing poise when other teams would wilt under the pressure.
At the center of all those comebacks is Haliburton, who has excelled most when the Pacers needed it. Given Haliburton’s late-game heroics, he’s the perfect person to tell the rest of his teammates to remain calm ahead of what should be a pressure-packed Game 6.
If they can follow that advice, there’s a good chance the Pacers will find themselves in the NBA Finals soon. If not, it’s going to be much harder to remain calm if a Game 7 in New York is on the schedule.
NEW YORK — In a despondent visiting locker room at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Josh Hart was searching.
He’d just committed a handful of “just bad, stupid turnovers” that helped kickstart the Pacers’ potent transition attack, fueling Indiana’s offense in a 130-121 win in Game 4 of the 2025 Eastern Conference finals. After a near-flawless performance by Tyrese Haliburton gave the Pacers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven set, pushing New York to the brink of elimination, Hart was asked what message his team could rally around as they exited Indianapolis.
“We’re going back home,” Hart said. “I’ve never known this team to quit. That’s not the character of the guys we have in the locker room. Obviously, our backs are against the wall, but we’re competitors, and we’re going to bring it until the series is over.”
The Knicks are still alive, thanks largely to its superstars — the celebrated but also, in this series, somewhat maligned duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns — showing up and showing out with the season on the line.
During his pregame media availability, Thibodeau said Towns would be a game-time decision with the left knee contusion he suffered late in New York’s Game 4 loss. Asked when he knew he’d be good to go, Towns said, “I looked at the game, and it said, ‘Game 5.’ Do or die. That was pretty much all I needed to see.”
Towns credited the Knicks’ medical staff with getting him prepared to be able to compete.
“We put a lot of hours in, trying to get myself ready so I could have a chance,” he said. “God was good. I was able to go out there and play.”
Towns didn’t just play; he started, had a double-double by halftime, and finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists, his fourth 20-and-10 of the series and ninth of this first postseason as a Knick.
“I thought he was very aggressive, and I think that’s super important,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns. “I think Jalen, as well.”
Ah, yes: Jalen, as well.
Brunson made his first three shots in the first 89 seconds of Game 5, staking the Knicks to an early edge that they’d never relinquish. New York would push the advantage as high as 22 points in the third quarter before settling in for a 111-94 Game 5 win to cut their series deficit to 3-2, and giving the Pacers plenty to think about on the flight back to Indianapolis ahead of Game 6 on Saturday.
The Knicks’ superstar point guard came out hot and stayed that way, scoring 14 points and dishing a pair of assists in the first quarter, establishing from the jump that New York would be able to get to its game offensively and was not at all interested in embarking on an early summer vacation.
“He was cooking, that’s what I saw — I saw him cooking,” Towns said. “When he’s playing like that and he’s hitting shots, obviously it energizes everyone.”
Two nights after Indiana’s All-NBA table-setter energized his team with his shot-making and ball movement, Brunson responded in kind, finishing with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 minutes of work. It’s Brunson’s 22nd 30-point, five-assist game in the playoffs, tying Oscar Robertson for 15th all-time; he’s now averaging 33 points and 5.4 assists per game on 51/36/93 shooting splits in these conference finals, continuing to burnish his reputation as one of the game’s elite postseason offensive weapons.
“[Haliburton] played phenomenal in Game 4,” Brunson said. “I mean, our backs are against the wall. I wasn’t thinking, ‘I need to play better than him.’ I was just thinking, ‘I need to help my team win.’ And that’s my mindset every time I’m on the court — just help my team win.”
Brunson also carried that mindset over to the defensive end on Thursday, playing like a competitor eager to offer an emphatic response to multiple days of conversation about the success Indiana has had hunting him in this series. When the Pacers worked to put him in actions in Game 5, Brunson played with energy, physicality and tenacity.
Jalen Brunson set the tone early and never let up, scoring 32 points to keep the Knicks’ season alive. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Al Bello via Getty Images
When he hedged on ball screens and recovered back to his man, he didn’t go half-speed with a half-hearted reach; he worked to turn back the ball-handler, sprint back to his man, and keep a body on a body. When he got switched into a mismatch, against Haliburton or Myles Turner, he didn’t just concede or commit a bailout foul; he forced the opponent to make plays over the top of him or through him. Sometimes, they did; sometimes, they didn’t. That’s progress.
“That’s our guy,” said Hart, who chipped in 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes as he continued to come off the bench. “We know he’s gonna bring it offensively, but I felt like dug in defensively and had great intensity … Sometimes we know it’s tough against the pick-and-roll offensively, but the biggest thing when you’re getting searched out, at the end of the day, it’s about pride. He answered the call, he defended well, he defended without fouling, which is the most important part. And we need that from him again next game.”
That progress was an important part of the Knicks turning in their best defensive performance of the series — and, given the stakes, arguably their best of the entire season.
The Knicks defensive intensity has been so high up this game, this play is after Mitchell’s rejection of Haliburton. pic.twitter.com/Djw3EeO4iH
The Pacers made a couple of runs at it, getting within 12 on a 3-pointer by little-used reserve Jarace Walker with just over eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and cutting the Knick lead to 14 on a driving Haliburton layup with 3:18 to go in regulation. If that combination of time and score made you start to sweat a little, you might be a Knicks fan who’s still working through the trauma of the team squandering a 14-point lead with 2:51 to go in Game 1.
On Thursday, though, Aaron Nesmith wasn’t coming out of the bullpen to start chucking lightning bolts. The Pacers forward, still battling through a sprained right ankle, played just 16 ineffective minutes in Game 5, missing seven of his eight shots and checking out for good with five and a half minutes to go in the fourth.
On Thursday, Pascal Siakam wasn’t ending every good possession of New York defense with a backbreaking fadeaway, or sprinting the length of the court off of every Knick make or miss for deflating transition buckets. Six days after scoring what Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle called “a quiet 39 points,” the Pacers All-Star forward finished with an actually quiet 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
After four games largely spent flailing in his wake, the Knicks defense finally found some success limiting Haliburton’s freedom of movement, holding the All-NBA point guard to just eight points on 2-for-7 shooting and six assists — just his second single-digit scoring performance of this postseason, and his fewest helpers in the series.
Thibodeau is fond of saying that you don’t defend superstar players individually, you guard them with your entire team, and dimming Haliburton’s shine on Thursday was a collective effort. Mikal Bridges turned in his best and most committed defensive performance of the series, giving the Pacers a taste of their own medicine by extending his pickup point, applying backcourt ball pressure on Indiana’s lead guard, and staying connected to Haliburton all over the court. When other Knicks picked up the assignment — including OG Anunoby, who guarded Haliburton for a stretch in the second quarter, and reserves Landry Shamet and Delon Wright, who continue to make significant contributions now that Thibodeau has actually deigned to go to his bench and lengthen his rotation — they followed suit, staying physical and disciplined to limit Haliburton’s easy touches and opportunities to drive into open space.
Big men Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa did yeoman’s work moving their feet when drawn out into deep water. The gap help behind the initial defender was on time all night, dissuading Haliburton from making his typical deep forays into the paint.
“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.”
That extends to the other end of the floor, too. Thibodeau insisted after the game that New York didn’t necessarily make a concerted effort to hunt Haliburton the same way that Indiana’s been hunting Brunson all series long. When opportunities presented themselves, though — a Bridges post touch here, a Bridges-Mitchell Robinson pick-and-roll in secondary action there, some double high ball screens that forced Haliburton to navigate traffic — well, let’s just say New York didn’t turn them down:
Through four games, the Pacers had outscored New York by 28 points in 152 minutes with Haliburton on the court; in Game 5, Indiana lost his minutes by 23.
“I feel like we picked up our intensity a little bit, obviously,” Brunson said after the game about the defensive improvements, on Haliburton and in general. “I think we paid attention to detail better as a team. The little things go a long way. If we pay attention to the minute things, the things that just don’t seem like a huge deal, they really do help.”
The devil’s in the details, the magic’s in the work, and the Knicks, still, are in the fight. They’ve staved off elimination once. Do it again on Saturday in Indianapolis, and they come home for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. It’s a tall task. But Hart’s never known this Knicks team to quit, and on Thursday, they sure didn’t look like they were ready to start any time soon.
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
From high-octane lineups to crafty pitching, this Yankees-Dodgers battle is baseball’s main event of this weekend. As Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz of the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast put it: “I don’t think we have to explain why Dodgers-Yankees is compelling … There is some stuff here, people.”
Here is some of the stuff:
Both teams are riding high entering this matchup
As pointed out in the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast,” there’s a different energy compared to their last showdown. This isn’t just a rehashing of last year’s World Series vibe. Both the Yankees (35-20) and Dodgers (34-22) are entering the weekend as true contenders, but, if anything, the Yankees look stronger this time around.
Mintz summed it up like this: “Last year it was pretty clear pretty quickly that the Yankees were playing worse baseball than the Dodgers. That’s not the case right now. There’s a strong argument the Yankees are better than the Dodgers.”
The Yankees’ run differential is nearly double that of the Dodgers (+113 to +65), and their recent form has been more consistent across the board.
Shusterman’s take: “The Yankees are playing much better, basically, across the board, they’ve been way more consistent. The run differential speaks for itself. They have a lot more of their team clicking.”
Pitching matchups to watch
The arms on display promise some compelling duels:
Friday — Max Fried vs. Tony Gonsolin Saturday — Will Warren vs. Landon Knack Sunday — Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Ryan Yarbrough
Mintz points out the intrigue around pitchers: “Will Warren I’m interested in. He was not a character during the World Series last year. Neither was Max Fried. I’ll take Max Fried against Shohei Ohtani. Thank you very much.”
It’s also a series full of new faces — like the Yankees’ Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt.
Broadcast bingo: Get ready for the highlights
As Shusterman jokes, expect the networks to lean heavily into World Series nostalgia. Will we see countless replays of Freddie Freeman’s grand slam in the World Series opener? Probably. The over-under, according to the “Bar-B-Cast” is set at 12.5. But don’t let that distract from the fact that this series is packed with new storylines and fresh drama.
Freddie Freeman unlocked legendary status after hitting a walkoff grand slam in the World Series opener last year against the Yankees. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Title favorites: The defending champion Dodgers have the best odds to win the World Series (+240 at BetMGM), and the Yankees aren’t too far behind (+550).
The Tigers (+900), Mets (+900), Phillies (+950), Cubs (+1500) and Mariners (+1800) are the only other teams with better than 20-1 odds.
MVP favorites: Reigning MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are mashing. If the season ended today, they would both be virtual locks to win the awards again, which would be three in four years for Judge and four in five years for Ohtani.
Judge leads the AL in every part of the triple-slash (.391/.488/.739), runs (51), hits (81), total bases (153) and WAR (4.2). He’s also second in HRs (18), RBI (47) and walks (38).
Ohtani leads the NL in HRs (20), runs (59), slugging (.648) and total bases (140), is second in WAR (2.8) and OPS (1.042) and is top 10 in BA (.292) and steals (11).
Looking ahead: There’s still a lot of baseball left, but if the Yankees and Dodgers each make it back to the Fall Classic it will be just the 10th World Series rematch ever, and the first since these same two teams did it nearly 50 years ago (1977-78).
J.P. Crawford didn’t like Andy Fletcher’s strike zone. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
Stephen Brashear via Getty Images
Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford had some words for home plate umpire Andy Fletcher on Thursday.
In the sixth inning of the Mariners’ 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals, Crawford was rung up on a called third strike from starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore with runners on the corners, no outs and Seattle down 2-0. The pitch was outside to the naked eye, but Fletcher still saw it as in the zone.
Immediately after he was punched out, Crawford could be heard yelling “That’s not a strike man!” at Fletcher, who responded by ejecting him. Crawford remained on the field to get his money’s worth until Mariners manager Dan Wilson stepped in and pushed him back to the dugout.
That result wound up being significant. Julio Rodriguez struck out on the next at-bat to give the Mariners their second out, then Cal Raleigh reached base on a hit-by-pitch. With the bases loaded and two outs, Randy Arozarena also struck out to keep Seattle scoreless for the inning.
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.
New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is dealing with an injury ahead of the team’s most important game of the season, but it won’t keep him off the court.
Towns banged his knee twice during the team’s 130-121 loss in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, and looked to be in a fair amount of pain late in the contest. However, after being listed as questionable with a knee contusion, the Knicks said shortly before the game that he was good to go.
The injury occurred with time winding down in the fourth quarter Tuesday, when Towns banged knees with Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith. Towns immediately grabbed his knee, and remained down on the court in obvious pain.
Aaron Nesmith collided with Karl-Anthony Towns and appeared to bump knees with each other.
KAT is down and in pain as the Knicks trail 121-114 with 2 minutes remaining 🙏 pic.twitter.com/vsETysk38a
Despite the injury, Towns was able to re-enter and finish the game, but he was hobbled the rest of the way.
Towns didn’t want to talk about the injury after the contest, saying, “I’m only thinking about this loss, I’m not thinking about that right now.” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau tried to take a more optimistic track, saying it was “a good thing” that Towns was able to get back into the game.
Losing Towns would have been devastating for the Knicks, who trail the series 3-1 following Tuesday’s loss. Towns is averaging 25.8 points and 11.5 rebounds during the series and put up a standout performance in the team’s Game 3 win.
Towns was nearly as good in Game 4, dropping 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the loss.
Even though Towns has been cleared for Game 5, his presence might not matter if Tyrese Haliburton continues to post huge numbers. Haliburton torched the Knicks in Game 4, dropping a historic triple-double on New York in the win.
