Towns shuts down Pacers, keeps Knicks’ playoff hopes alive
The New York franchise, still trailing in the playoffs, staged a comeback in the fourth quarter thanks to a heroic performance by the Dominican center.
Tyrese Haliburton and Karl-Anthony Towns
Knowing that another loss would put them on the brink of elimination, the New York Knicks held their ground, even if they had to fight back from behind. The Big Apple team defeated the Indiana Pacers 106-100 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
With this win, Tom Thibodeau’s squad narrowed the series gap to 2-1, still in favor of the Pacers.
The game was a study in contrasts. The Pacers dominated the first half, heading into halftime with a 13-point lead. But the second half belonged to the Knicks, who especially shined in the final quarter, scoring 36 points to complete the comeback.
Karl-Anthony Towns emerged as the Knicks’ hero, showing incredible strength and determination in the final quarter, where he scored 20 of his total 24 points. The Dominican center also had 15 rebounds, finishing with a double-double and earning the title of the game’s best player.
"I just wanted to go out there and give our team a chance to win. Anytime you can win, it's a good feeling. So down 2-0, finding a way to win tonight should raise our confidence, raise the morale of the team," Towns said after the game.
Jalen Brunson’s 23 points were crucial for the Knicks, even though he didn’t have his best game due to foul trouble. On the other side, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges put up solid performances with 16 and 15 points each.
The Pacers started strong but faded as the game went on, something their head coach, Rick Carlisle, admitted in a press conference. He also praised the Knicks for their effort and resilience.
"It's a tough loss. You have to give them credit for fighting hard and staying in the game. We did a poor job of closing the third quarter and not a good enough start to the fourth. It turned into, you know, a real back and forth game, and they executed down the stretch and we did not execute well enough" Carlisle said.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton finished the game with 20 points, while Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner added 17 and 19 points, respectively.
The fourth game of the series will take place this Tuesday, once again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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