Knicks triumph at home and extend series against Pacers

The New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers 111-94 on Thursday at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, with Jalen Brunson leading the way with 32 points, extending the series to a sixth game in Indianapolis.

The New York squad led the way to victory from a great defensive effort, which resulted in 45 first-half points for Indiana.

The Pacers were coming off a Game 4 in which they scored 43 points in the first quarter alone.

"We were able to stop them early and then we converted our opportunities," Jalen Brunson said. "We just played better, played at our level."

"We're going to focus on taking it one step at a time, one quarter at a time and then we'll get opportunities."

Brunson, 28 and winner of the Most Clutch Player award this season, finished the game with 32 points connecting on 12 of his 18 attempts from the field, including four 3-pointers.

A sense of urgency carried over to defensive pressure put the Knicks in a comfortable position in a high-tension game in which they could not let their guard down or put their season at risk.

Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns, who again suffered foul trouble, completed a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds.

The final two minutes of the game served as inspiration for the fans who chanted"Knicks in seven", with the firm hope of seeing their team come back in the series next Monday in a hypothetical game seven.

Indiana puts an end to a streak that saw them score a minimum of 100 points during each of their postseason games, a vivid reflection of Tom Thibodeau's team's effort Thursday.

It was an atypical night for Indiana's offense, which had just three players above 10 points, with Bennedict Mathurin being the visitors' top scorer with 23 points.

Tyrese Haliburton had a surprising performance with eight points in seven attempts during 32 minutes on the court.

Game 6 of the series will be played this Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Pacers will have the opportunity to close the series at home.

An Indiana slip-up would send the Eastern Conference finals to Madison Square Garden next week.