With their backs against the wall and facing playoff elimination, the New York Knicks rose to the occasion in Game 5 with a dominant 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers to stay alive.
As the series heads back to Indianapolis on Saturday with the Pacers leading 3-2, the Knicks will need to replicate the same intensity they showed on Thursday. If the Knicks can grind out a road win, NBA fans will be treated to the mouth-watering prospect of a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
On the latest episode of “The Athletic NBA Daily,” Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni broke down how the Knicks fought to keep their season alive. They also discussed how Karl-Anthony Towns set the tone from the opening tip, how New York leaned on its rotation to stay fresh for the fourth quarter and whether the Knicks may have finally cracked Indiana’s code.
DuFour and Baraheni were joined by The Athletic’s Shakeia Taylor, who highlighted how New York’s suffocating defense kept the Pacers out of rhythm and how the Knicks controlled the pace from start to finish.
Despite the loss, Indiana still has a chance to close out the series on their home floor. But after such a flat Game 5 performance, they know they’ll need to bounce back quickly. DuFour, Baraheni and Taylor discuss why the Pacers looked so flat, how New York’s defensive pressure affected Tyrese Haliburton, whether Aaron Nesmith’s ankle injury should be a concern and the postgame reactions from the Pacers’ locker room.
Watch the full episode of “The Athletic NBA Daily” below or on the YouTube channel or via the “The Athletic NBA Daily” podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Photo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
