With their season on the line, KAT and the Knicks came out strong.
New York never trailed to win Game 5 at MSG and force Game 6 back in Indy (8 ET Sat, TNT).
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 30, 2025
Dynamic Duo: Brunson & Towns fuel Knicks past Pacers to force Game 6
Pace Control: How New York neutralized Haliburton & beat Indy at its own game
Step 1 Complete: NY is seeking its first 3-1 comeback and the 14th in NBA history
Ascending Thunder: From 68 wins to a record-setting Playoff run, OKC keeps climbing
West Finals Frames: Reliving the West Finals through eight of our favorite frames.
BUT FIRST … ⏰
See you Saturday…
WNBA Friday: As anticipation builds for Saturday’s Game 6 between the Knicks and Pacers, dive into a five-game night in the WNBA, including last year’s finalists – the champion Liberty and runner-up Lynx – each looking to open the season 6-0.
1. BRUNSON, TOWNS FUEL KNICKS TO FORCE GAME 6
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They’d been here before.
With their backs against the wall, New York’s All-Star duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns made sure the Knicks’ run didn’t end at home — at the hand of the Pacers — for a second straight year.
Knicks 111, Pacers 94: Brunson (game-high 32 pts, 5 ast, 4 3pm) and Towns (24 pts, 13 reb, game-high +26) combined for 56 points on Thursday to power the Knicks past the Pacers in the first wire-to-wire win of this epic East Finals. | Recap
- JB & KAT 🤝 Shaq & Kobe: Brunson and Towns are the first pair of teammates to score 20+ points in the first five games of a Conference Finals since the Lakers’ duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2002
- Double Up: In their first season as teammates, Brunson and Towns have scored 20+ in the same game 39 times, with the Knicks going 25-14 in those games, including 7-4 in the Playoffs
- At His Best: In four elimination games as a Knick, Brunson now has three 30-pieces when the season is on the line – tying Bernard King for 3rd most behind Patrick Ewing (7) and Carmelo Anthony (4) in Knicks history
- Rinse & Repeat: KAT posted his fourth 20-10 game of the series and 52nd of the season (reg+post), tying Ewing in 1991 for the 4th most in a single season by a Knick
Throughout the game, Brunson and Towns traded the role of primary scorer by quarter.
- Tone-Setter: Brunson came out hot, scoring 14 points in the 1st quarter as the Knicks led by as many as 10
- 🗣️”He was cooking. When he’s playing like that and hitting shots, it energizes everyone” – Towns on the impact of Brunson’s explosive start
- KAT Keeps It Going: Towns dropped 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the 2nd quarter as the Knicks took an 11-point lead into the half
- JB Strikes Again: Brunson erupted for 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the 3rd as NY’s lead grew to a series-high 22 points
- No Comebacks Allowed: When Indy cut the lead to 10 late in the 3rd, Brunson’s huge 4-point play with 2:56 left keyed a 12-0 NY run to push the lead back to 20
- Closing Time: KAT and Josh Hart scored five points apiece in the 4th – including this and-1 (and a flex) from Towns that had The Garden buzzing – as the Knicks went on to extend the series
In addition to Brunson and Towns, the Knicks got 12 points apiece from Mikal Bridges (6-of-12 FG, 5 ast) and Hart (4-of-8 FG, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl) – including this Villanova connection bucket in the 4th as it went Brunson to Bridges to Hart for the finish.
- What’s Next: The Knicks trail 3-2 as the series shifts back to Indy for Game 6 on Saturday (8 ET, TNT). New York will look to improve on its 6-2 road record in this year’s Playoffs and force a Game 7 back at MSG on Monday
- How Close Is This Series? Indiana leads 3-2 in games, but New York leads 582-576 in composite score as only six points separates these longtime rivals
2. PACE CONTROL: KNICKS FLIP TEMPO TO TAKE GAME 5
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On Tuesday, Tyrese Haliburton walked off the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor and into the record books with a historic 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists and zero turnovers to take Game 4.
The masterpiece pushed the Pacers one win shy of the NBA Finals – which they last reached 25 years ago by closing out the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
But with Haliburton scorching hot and a Finals berth within Indy’s reach, the Knicks’ defense dug in – refusing to let history repeat itself.
- Elevated Intensity: In Game 4, New York allowed 130 points, including 69 in the 1st half. In Game 5, Indy didn’t hit 69 points until 39 seconds left in the 3rd quarter
- Final Stand: After seeing a 22-point lead deflate to 15 before the 4th, the Knicks regrouped and responded – holding the Pacers to 21 in the final frame to seal the win
The Knicks’ defensive effort wasn’t just a result of playing with desperation. They also came out with a plan – stop Haliburton.
- Emphatic Answer: 48 hours after dropping Game 4, the Knicks locked Haliburton down, limiting him to a Playoff-low in field goal attempts (7) and makes (2) for a total of eight points and six assists
- 94-Foot Fence: That started with making the Pacers’ maestro work for everything – denying him the ball after buckets and pressuring him full-court
- At Their Pace: With Haliburton orchestrating transition in Game 4, Indy racked up a Playoff-high 22 fast break points
- Tempo Turnaround: But in Game 5, it was the Knicks’ defense that went on the attack – slowing the game down to blitz Haliburton in the halfcourt and create chaos
That defensive pressure didn’t just stall Indy’s offense – it ignited New York’s.
- NY Traffic: After forcing just 11 turnovers in Game 4, the Knicks created 20 last night. That included a series-high 11 steals while holding Indy to just 40.5% from the field
- Broadway Breaks: Suddenly, it was New York out in transition, as its string of stops led to a series-high 15 fast break points
Winning Formula: The Pacers have now been held to 100 points or fewer seven times this season. Two of those games have come this series – both resulting in Knicks wins.
- “We were able to get stops early, run and were able to convert,” said Jalen Brunson postgame. “We played Knicks basketball tonight.”
3. KNICKS TAKE FIRST STEP IN HISTORIC COMEBACK ATTEMPT
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The Knicks are the 297th team in NBA Playoff history to face a 3-1 deficit.
In the first 296 instances, only 13 teams have ever rallied back to win the series.
That’s a 4.39% success rate.
The Knicks took the first step in their attempt to become team No. 14 with a 111-94 win over the Pacers at home in Game 5 of the East Finals.
After surviving their first elimination game, New York’s next mission is to go to Indiana and earn a road win in Game 6 to force a Game 7 back at Madison Square Garden.
- What History Says: Of the 70 teams that won Game 5 at home when trailing 3-1, 25.7% (18-52) have gone on to win Game 6 to force a winner-take-all Game 7
- Road Beasts: The Knicks are 6-2 on the road this postseason – tied with Indiana for the best road record in the Playoffs – compared to 4-5 at home
- Done It Before: One of those six road wins came in Indiana as the Knicks topped the Pacers 106-100 in Game 3, rallying back from 20 points down for their first win of the series
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Herculean comebacks have been a staple of the 2025 Playoffs – with six 20+ point rallies setting a new mark for the most in a single Playoffs in the play-by-play era. Five of those six have come from the Knicks or Pacers.
- With their Game 1 win, the Pacers notched their third 7-point comeback in the game’s final minute of this year’s Playoffs – there’s been only one other such comeback since 1998
- With their Game 3 win, the Knicks became the first team with three 20+ point comebacks in a single postseason (play by play era)
While they’ve proven fully capable of pulling off single-game comebacks in the Playoffs, the Knicks are looking to complete their first 3-1 series comeback in franchise history.
- “Knicks in 7! Knicks in 7!” – The chants rained down in the closing seconds of Game 5 from the MSG faithful, eager to see their Knicks back home on Monday with a chance to make history
- First Things First: Before NY can hope to complete the series comeback, they must first win Game 6. Shortly after winning Game 5, Jalen Brunson discussed his mentality.
- “Just focus on one thing at a time. One quarter and we go from there.”
4. ASCENDING THUNDER: OKC’S RISE HITS A NEW LEVEL
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“Excellence” is a word that somehow understates what the Thunder have done this season.
OKC reached its first NBA Finals since 2012 after a 68-14 sprint through the regular season and 12-4 run through the West Playoffs. Led by Kia NBA MVP and West Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the group has continued to back up its No. 1 seed.
“They embody everything it means to be a team,” said coach Mark Daigneault receiving the Oscar Robertson trophy. “They deserve this. They deserve the opportunity that we have now.”
- Rolling & Rumbling: The Thunder own the all-time record for most double-digit wins in a season with 61. Their 54 in the regular season alone had never been done before
- Wins Upon Wins: Only seven teams have posted 68+ victories in a regular season, and OKC is the latest to do so. Four of their predecessors went on to become champions
While becoming the preeminent power in the West, the Thunder made Paycom Center a nightmare for opponents.
- Belly Of The Beast: OKC dropped just six regular-season contests at home en route to a league-best 85.3% win percentage
- Blue & Orange Sea: In the Playoffs, it’s outscored foes by 221 total points across nine home games, securing the NBA’s highest-ever differential in that span
The Thunder’s defense fueled their historic regular season – and they’ve only tightened the screws in the Playoffs.
- Air-Tight: With a 106.6 DefRtg, OKC qualified as the NBA’s top defensive team entering the postseason. It’s posted an even-better 104.7 through three series
- Seven Strong: There’s depth to their defense. The Thunder account for seven of the top 10 leaders in DefRtg since the beginning of the Playoffs
- Franchise Lore: It is also the second team since 1973-74 to tally 170+ steals and 80+ blocks through the first three series of a postseason run – joining the 1992-93 Supersonics
- “We are a step closer to our goal, and we’re happy about that,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But there are still four more games to go win – four really hard games to go win.”
5. WEST FINALS IN FOCUS: EIGHT ESSENTIAL SNAPSHOTS
One clash. Two contenders. Five battles.
Before we shift our focus to the ultimate stage, let’s look back at a hard-fought West Finals through eight of our favorite frames.
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