The New York Knicks clawed their way back from a 20-point second-quarter deficit to defeat the Indiana Pacers 106–100 in Game 3, avoiding a near-insurmountable 0-3 hole in the series.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the charge, scoring 20 of his 24 points in a dominant fourth-quarter performance—the most fourth-quarter points by a Knicks player in the play-by-play era. With Jalen Brunson sidelined for stretches, Towns rose to the occasion and delivered when the Knicks needed it most.
“We found a way to win,” Towns said after the game. The win helped lift the team’s confidence and morale—something they’ll need to carry into Game 4.
The Knicks also saw key contributions from their bench, a rare move by head coach Tom Thibodeau, who is often known for riding his starters deep into games. Josh Hart logged 34 minutes, while Miles McBride added 9 points in 15 minutes off the bench. Delon Wright chipped in with 13 minutes of solid play, and Landry Shamet added energy in his 11 minutes.
Indiana came out firing, jumping to a 20-point lead in the second quarter and looking ready to cruise to a 3-0 series advantage. But that momentum faded fast. Despite having one of the deepest benches in the league, the Pacers came out flat in the second half.
Pascal Siakam, who dropped a playoff career-high 39 points in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, came back down to earth with 17 points—closer to his playoff average of 17.5. Tyrese Haliburton scored 20 points but was just 2-for-8 from three-point range. As a team, the Pacers shot only 20% from beyond the arc, contributing to their second-half collapse.
Before this win, the Knicks were 0–9 in playoff games at Indiana. Now, with the series at 2–1, they’ve given themselves a real shot at evening things up.
Game 4 tips off Tuesday at 8 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Knicks will look to keep the momentum rolling and bring the series back to New York tied 2–2.
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