Starting 5, May 31: Game 6 of the East Finals in Indy

Brunson vs. Haliburton. Knicks vs. Pacers.

Game 6. Tonight in Indianapolis.

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5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

May 31, 2025

Game 6 In 2 Minutes: Knicks & Pacers set for the 7th Game 6 clash in their rivalry

Next Step: NY staved off elimination at home. Can they do it again on the road?

Back Home: Pacers look to clinch series in Indy and reach first Finals since 2000

Brunson & KAT: Duo has Knicks two wins from Finals in first Playoff run together

WNBA Friday: A’ja goes off, Liberty & Lynx stay perfect, Dream red-hot, Sun get first W

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1. GET READY FOR GAME 6 IN 2 MINUTES

Every Game 6 has the same stakes – one team clinches with a win, the other team wins or goes home.

But tonight’s contest (8 ET, TNT) between the Pacers and Knicks, two longtime rivals who’ve given the world an epic series already, brings a little extra drama.

• A Pacers Win: Clinches the series and the Eastern Conference, advancing Indiana to the NBA Finals and a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder
• A Knicks Win: Extends the series to a winner-take-all Game 7 back in New York on Monday
• How Close Is This Series? The Pacers lead 3-2 in games, but the Knicks lead 582-576 in total points – only 6 points separate these two entering Game 6

This is the ninth meeting in the Playoffs between these historic rivals – and the seventh that has required at least six games to determine a winner. The Knicks and Pacers have split their previous Game 6s 3-3.

Indy On A Roll: The Pacers enter tonight’s game having won the three most recent Game 6s with the Knicks over the past 25 years.

• 2024 East Semis: Down 3-2, the Pacers won Game 6 at home to tie the series, then went on to clinch at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 and secure their first East Finals berth in a decade
• 2013 East Semis: After leading 3-1, the Pacers dropped Game 5 in New York (similar to 2025) before returning home to clinch the series in Game 6 behind a trio of 20-pieces from Lance Stephenson, Paul George and Roy Hibbert
• 2000 East Finals: Leading 3-2, the Pacers won Game 6 on the road, powered by Reggie Miller’s 34 points, to clinch their first-ever NBA Finals berth

Comeback Trail: The Knicks won the first three Game 6s with the Pacers, including two with similarities to their current challenge.

• 1994 East Finals: Down 3-2, the Knicks won Game 6 on the road behind John Starks’ 26 points and five 3s to force Game 7 and would go on to win the series thanks to Patrick Ewing’s iconic 24-pt, 22-reb, 7-ast, 5-blk performance and clutch putback slam
• 1995 East Semis: Down 3-2, the Knicks again won Game 6 on the road to tie series, before losing in Game 7 at home
• 1999 East Finals: Leading 3-2, the Knicks won Game 6 at home behind Allan Houston’s 32 points to clinch the series and their most recent Finals berth
• Until this year’s East Semis against Boston, this marked the last time the Knicks had clinched a Playoff series on their home floor

Both the 1994 and 1995 series saw the Knicks go into Indiana and win Game 6 on the road with their season on the line – the same stakes they face tonight.

• In 1995, the Knicks also trailed that series 3-1 after dropping Game 4 on the road, before winning Game 5 at home on Ewing’s turnaround jumper with 1.8 seconds left
• In 2025, the Knicks didn’t need a last-second shot to extend their season. Instead, they led wire-to-wire in Game 5 as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 56 points

Can New York’s duo deliver again on the road to bring the series back to The Garden? The Knicks are 6-2 on the road in this year’s Playoffs, including their Game 3 win in Indiana.

Or will Indiana bounce back from Thursday’s loss and punch their first ticket to the Finals since 2000 in front of their home fans?

Tipoff is just hours away.

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2. KNICKS LOOK TO COMPLETE STEP TWO OF 3-1 COMEBACK

New York has already shown historic resolve in this year’s Playoffs, becoming the first team to rally back from 20+ points down three times in a single postseason.

Now, they are aiming for a different type of comeback – trying to become the 14th team in Playoff history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

To do so, they’ll need to complete the following three steps:

• Step 1: Win Game 5 at home to stave off elimination and force Game 6 ✅
• Step 2: Win Game 6 on the road to force a winner-take-all Game 7 at home
• Step 3: Win Game 7 at home to clinch the series and a spot in Playoff lore

Of the first 296 teams to face a 3-1 deficit, 100 faced the same path as the Knicks – with Games 5 and 7 at home and Game 6 on the road. This excludes the 3-1 deficits faced in the 2020 Playoffs, which were contested at a neutral site.

• On Thursday, the Knicks became the 69th team to complete Step 1 – winning Game 5 at home when trailing 3-1, boosting that success rate to 68.3% (69-32) all-time – as they posted the first wire-to-wire win of the nip-and-tuck series
• Tonight, NY faces Step 2, which history shows is the most difficult to complete. Of the first 68 teams to win Game 5 at home, only 25% (17-51) have also won Game 6 on the road to force Game 7
• If the Knicks are able to complete Step 2, then it all comes down to one game at home. Teams in this scenario have won the series 47.1% (8-17) of the time

The 1995 Knicks are one of the 17 teams that have completed the first two steps, but were unable to complete Step 3, falling to the Pacers at home in Game 7 of the East Semis.

• The 2016 Warriors are the last team to successfully run the three-step gauntlet that the 2025 Knicks are attempting
• They did so behind “Game 6 Klay” erupting for 41 points in Oklahoma City to force Game 7 back in the Bay, where Steph Curry’s 36-point gem sent the Warriors back to the Finals

For the Knicks, they look to build on their success in Game 5 and hand the Pacers their first consecutive losses since early March.

• 🗣 Brunson: “I’m just happy with the way we responded, honestly. We came out and had some energy to the way we played. I’m very proud of what we did, and we have to try to replicate it.”
• 🗣 Towns: “This team is special. In this series, we haven’t been able to close out games we wanted to. We’ve had moments of brilliance and (Thursday) we showed the world how special we are.”

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3. PACERS SEEK RETURN TO FORM IN RETURN HOME FOR GAME 6

The Pacers have been here before – three times, in fact, this postseason.

Not once have they wavered. Whenever they’ve fallen, they’ve picked themselves up. A penchant for pushing back is part of the winning effort that got them here.

Indiana returns to its beloved stomping grounds at Gainbridge Fieldhouse tonight (8 ET, TNT) for Game 6 of the East Finals.

It’s the very place where the reigning conference finalists ousted Milwaukee in Game 5, but this time around, a Finals berth is on the line.

• “We always want to respond when things don’t go well,” said Tyrese Haliburton. “After a game like that, we understand what the stakes are, and we understand the conversation.”
• The Response: Since March 11, the Pacers are 8-0 following a loss. That includes a 3-0 mark during the Playoffs entering their first Game 6 on this title chase
• Calculated Counter: Their average margin of victory in that trio of contests is +18.3 ppg, exceeding their mark of +10 ppg across all 11 of their postseason victories

Haliburton himself submitted personal series-lows for points, assists and rebounds in Game 5. As demonstrated by his historic triple-double Tuesday, he’s critical for Indiana’s bounce-back hopes.

• Passing Prowess: Indiana was 26-7 in the regular season when the 5th-year guard tallied double-digit assists. It’s now 7-1 in that regard on a quest for the Larry O’Brien Trophy
• Sharing Is Caring: When the Pacers tally 25+ assists, they’re 3-0 this series. The team is 7-1 with 28 or more but 4-3 with 26 or less since the Playoffs began
• Shoot, Shoot, Shoot: A higher volume of Haliburton shots also bodes well. He attempted seven field goals Thursday, but when he puts up 15+, the squad is 31-10 this season

Indy will look for more than just Tyrese, though. The Indiana starting five as a whole had 37 points – 39.3% of Indiana’s production – in Game 5. That’s less than half of what its starters have averaged this series (80.8).

• Spread The Wealth: The Pacers lead the league in 2024-25 with 81 games of five or more double-figure scorers
• Magic Number: They’re undefeated this postseason when shooting 45.0 FG% or better

“Our strength has been just being together, fighting hard together, staying together no matter what,” said Pascal Siakam. “Nobody had us being here right now.”

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4. BRUNSON & TOWNS EYEING HISTORY IN FIRST PLAYOFF RUN TOGETHER

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns had established themselves in the league before they hit the hardwood as teammates.

Both were All-Stars in their own right. They performed at a consistently-high level warranting recognition as some of the very best in their respective positions.

There have been times this season where each of them earned a share of franchise lore. But now, they’re making history together.

In Game 5, Brunson (32) and Towns (24) dropped a combined 56 points to stave off elimination, sending the series back to Indianapolis.

• They became the fifth duo ever to score 20+ points in the opening five games of a Conference Finals – the first since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in 2002
• Those Lakers? They also fell down, 3-2, before winning the West Finals in seven games and eventually completing a title three-peat
• Among The Greats: Brunson and Towns are also only the third twosome to reach the achievement in nearly 60 years, with Elgin Baylor and Jerry West being the next pair of names on the list

When the Knicks traded for Towns (23.1 career ppg), they paired one of the NBA’s most talented centers with a star guard in Brunson (26.4 ppg in New York).

In doing so, they created a matchup nightmare for opponents across the league, strengthening their paint presence while opening up a range of possibilities outside the arc.

• One-Two Punch: New York is 25-14 when both of them score 20+ points. Among other duos that hit that mark 35+ times in 2024-25, that ranks 3rd-best
• Left Hook: Thursday, Brunson notched his 10th game with 30+ points and 5+ assists in a single Playoff run. LeBron, MJ and SGA are the only others who lay claim to that feat
• Right Hook: Towns, meanwhile, just tied Patrick Ewing (1991) in franchise history for the 4th-most 20+ point, 10+ rebound games in a season with his 52nd in Game 5

The two will again take center stage for a Knicks team that can’t afford another loss. They’ve shown they can win on the road, and that’s exactly what they’ll need to accomplish tonight.

• Eyeing History: A victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse would not only force a Game 7, it would mark the team’s seventh win as a visitor this postseason – setting a new franchise record

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5. A’JA’S HISTORIC PERFORMANCE LEADS WNBA FRIDAY

The WNBA season may only be two weeks old, but Friday’s action showed some players and teams already in midseason form.

• Aces 96, Sparks 81: Reigning MVP A’ja Wilson (35 pts, 13 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk) was simply unstoppable, becoming the first player in WNBA history to total 35+ pts, 10+ reb, 3+ stl and 3+ blk in a game and tying Breanna Stewart for the most 35-10 games with her 9th
• Jackie Young added 26 for the Aces (3-2), while former Aces Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby combined for 31 for L.A. (2-5)

Last season ended with a five-game classic in the WNBA Finals, with the New York Liberty edging out the Minnesota Lynx in overtime of a winner-take-all Game 5 to earn their first title in franchise history.

Neither team has lost a game since – both improving to 6-0 on Friday – marking the second time in WNBA history two teams have opened the season at least 6-0.

The other time? 2016 when hot starts by the Lynx (13-0) and Sparks (11-0) preceded their eventual Finals matchup.

• Liberty 85, Mystics 63: NY leads the WNBA in scoring (90.5 ppg) and its high-powered offense was on full display. Led by Sabrina Ionescu (28 pts, 4 3pm) and Jonquel Jones (14 pts, 18 reb), NY is off to its best start since the WNBA’s 1997 inaugural season (7-0)
• Lynx 74, Mercury 71: Playing without league-leading scorer Napheesa Collier (knee), Minnesota stayed perfect thanks to Natisha Hiedeman sinking the game-winning 3 (⬇️) with 5.5 seconds left to edge out Satou Sabally (26 pts, 11 reb) and the Mercury (4-2)

The Lynx and Liberty aren’t the only teams that are red-hot entering the Commissioner’s Cup – the fifth-annual in-season competition tips off on Sunday and runs from June 1-17.

• Dream 94, Storm 87: Rhyne Howard (33 pts, 5 ast) and Allisha Gray (28 pts, 3 3pm) became the first Dream teammates to each score 25+ in the same game since 2020 as they powered Atlanta (5-2) past Seattle (3-3) for its fourth straight win
• Sun 85, Fever 83: Connecticut held off Indiana’s furious 4th-quarter comeback attempt – led by DeWanna Bonner in her first game against her former team – as the new-look Sun secured their first win of the season behind Marina Mabrey’s season-high 26 points