Pacers Deliver Game 4 Blow with a Chance to Eliminate the Knicks in Game 5

The Knicks are on the Brink of Elimination

Despite a 31-point effort from Jalen Brunson, costly turnovers and late-game breakdowns doomed the Knicks as Indiana pulled away to move one win from the NBA Finals.

With the New York Knicks being down 1-2 in the series, they had a chance to even things up in Game 4 and push this Eastern Conference Finals matchup into a longer, more grueling battle against the Indiana Pacers, rather than facing elimination in Game 5.

The Knicks came out looking determined, winning the tip through Mitchell Robinson and striking first as OG Anunoby sized up Andrew Nembhard and drilled a step-back jumper. But Indiana responded right away. Myles Turner bullied his way inside for a strong and-one, and it was clear from the jump that both teams were ready to push the tempo.

Jalen Brunson kicked it into gear early, driving and dishing to Mikal Bridges for a wide-open three, while Aaron Nesmith sprinted coast to coast and buried one of his own.

The pace was blinding. It felt like neither team was interested in walking the ball up, this was fire-for-fire basketball.

The Knicks had some defensive lapses, especially in transition, and Haliburton made them pay, splashing a wide-open three. Coach Tom Thibodeau called for time, and out of the timeout, Brunson ran a perfect lob to Robinson off a back screen from Karl-Anthony Towns, who unfortunately picked up his second foul shortly after and had to sit.

Then, enter Josh Hart, who made an instant impact, feeding OG on a cut to the rim for a big dunk. But, Siakam was relentless, using mismatches and speed to carve up the interior, and Nesmith was lighting it up, confidently draining threes and throwing down a hammer dunk.

Then, it became a duel between Brunson and Haliburton. Brunson scored in bunches with turnaround jumpers, deep threes, and fearless drives, while Tyrese danced around defenders and answered with tough step-backs and crafty mid-range shots. It was electric.

Precious Achiuwa also made his series debut, giving Mitch some rest, and Hart helped keep things close with a big three. A crucial moment came when Brunson scored on a tough layup, drawing a foul from Obi Toppin. Pacers' Coach Rick Carlisle challenged, but lost, and the Knicks capitalized. Brunson had 13 points in the quarter and was cooking, but Indiana finished strong behind Haliburton (15 points) and Siakam (11 points).

The quarter had ended with the Pacers holding a 43-35 lead.

The second quarter was full of the Knicks' bench trying to chip away. To open up the quarter though, Deuce McBride and Hart hustled hard, but Indiana kept attacking. Bennedict Mathurin knocked down a mid-range jumper, and Towns briefly looked out of sync before finding his rhythm with a smooth triple and strong takes inside. He drew fouls, hit his free throws, and made his presence felt, a promising bounce-back after early foul trouble.

OG Anunoby steadied the offense with a tough step-back and capitalized off a Shamet assist. When Sheppard scored on a slick cut, it prompted a Knicks timeout, but New York returned re-energized. Towns hit inside again, Wright nailed a three, and OG stole a bad Siakam pass then finished through contact.

Suddenly, the game was tied at 51, and Indiana needed a breather. It was a 9-2 Knicks run, and the New York faithful watching from Gainbridge Fieldhouse could feel the momentum shifting.**

But the Pacers didn’t stay down long. Haliburton came back in and quickly buried a three in transition. OG responded again with an and-one drive to retake the lead, but Nesmith kept answering, hitting free throws and scoring on a confident pull-up. The Knicks struggled with turnovers and poor communication, especially on late-quarter switches. Bridges also missed a transition opportunity, and Mitch picked up his second foul as Nesmith continued to rack up points.

The half closed with Indiana finding a groove. After a long sequence of missed shots and offensive rebounds, Tony Bradley scored the final bucket of the half to cap off a 6-0 Pacers run. And despite a furious Knicks comeback earlier in the quarter, Indiana walked into the locker room with a 69-64 lead.

The third quarter was a backbreaker for the Knicks, as Indiana capitalized on sloppy ball-handling and poor decision-making to stretch their lead and keep New York chasing from behind.

It had opened with a blow for the Knicks as Pascal Siakam calmly knocked down a mid-range jumper, then slammed home a dunk off a fast-break after a sloppy Brunson turnover.

That was already New York’s 10th turnover, and it didn’t stop there.

Haliburton picked off another bad pass from Bridges, setting up more empty possessions for the Knicks as their offense struggled to find rhythm. Indiana took full advantage, with Turner hitting a clean corner three to put the Pacers up by a dozen, forcing a frustrated Knicks timeout.

Out of the break, Bridges finally stopped the bleeding with a smooth scoop inside. Towns threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk and followed it up with trips to the line, hitting both. OG couldn’t get his shot to fall, but Robinson made up for it with offensive rebounds and clutch free throws, a rare sight that gave the Knicks a boost. Still, lapses on defense continued, and Nesmith snuck behind Brunson for an easy dunk off an inbounds.

Robinson kept battling on the boards and got a put-back to fall after a Towns miss. He was a force on the glass. Siakam answered back with a jumper, but Towns responded with an and-one finish after drawing contact on a drive. The game stayed fast-paced and physical, with Brunson slicing into the lane for tough buckets and free throws while the Pacers leaned on Haliburton’s playmaking.

Brunson was relentless, but Indiana’s discipline on both ends kept them just ahead. Even after the Knicks challenged a foul call on Haliburton and won, the Pacers quickly answered. Haliburton hit a deep three, Turner got away with a travel on an up-and-under, and Toppin’s foul on Towns kept things chippy.

The turnovers piled up, Hart stepped out, Deuce got picked off by Toppin, and Bridges committed a loose ball foul.

Despite Brunson’s fight and Towns’ aggressive interior play, the Knicks were still trailing. Haliburton and Bennedict delivered late-quarter daggers, including a heated exchange between Bennedict and Brunson after some contact and trash talk.

The third quarter ended with Indiana holding a 102-91 lead over New York.

The fourth quarter was a desperate final push for the Knicks, but costly mistakes, late-game breakdowns, and clutch shooting from the Pacers proved too much to overcome.

The Knicks opened the final quarter trying to chip away at Indiana’s lead, with OG Anunoby slicing in for a smooth layup off a Shamet assist. But, the Pacers kept answering. T.J. McConnell scored, and a defensive lapse left Bennedict Mathurin free for a dunk. Shamet briefly gave the Knicks a lifeline with a timely three, but Siakam continued to torch New York, finishing inside before drilling a corner triple to stretch Indiana’s lead to 15, forcing another Knicks timeout.

OG responded with a contested three as the shot clock expired, but every Knicks push was quickly met with a counter. Towns picked up his fourth foul, and Josh Hart was whistled for another questionable call on Mathurin. Still, Hart remained aggressive, drawing fouls and converting at the line. Bridges and OG tried to claw the Knicks back into it with timely shots.

A 10-2 Knicks run brought the deficit down, with Brunson slashing to the rim and Bridges connecting from deep. But just as momentum shifted, Siakam struck again from the corner. The game paused when Towns fouled Nesmith and went down holding his knee. New York successfully challenged the call, flipping it to an offensive foul on Turner, but Towns was clearly shaken up. He remained in the game, limping but battling.

Late in the quarter, OG was called for a charge and Hart fouled out on a controversial call after getting hit in the face by Siakam. Still, the Knicks pushed. Brunson blocked Nembhard, but the Pacers capitalized as Haliburton found Obi Toppin wide open for a dagger three.

Brunson answered on the break, but time had run out. The Pacers controlled the clock and closed it out at the free-throw line.

Indiana defeated New York 130-121, taking a 3-1 series lead and setting up a chance to eliminate the Knicks in Game 5. Ouch.

Overall, despite the painful loss, five Knicks players showed up in double digits. Brunson led with 31 points, Towns added 24 points and 12 rebounds, OG chipped in 22, Bridges finished with 17 on four-of-five shooting from three, and Hart recorded a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double, despite committing five turnovers and eventually fouling out.

For Indiana, Haliburton led the way with a 32-15-12 triple-double, Siakam dropped 30 points while hitting three of four from deep, and Mathurin poured in 20 off the bench, while Nesmith and Turner combined for 29.

Next up, the New York Knicks will be facing the Indiana Pacers at home for Game 5 at MSG (1-3) on Thursday May 29, at 8:00 p.m. E.T. for the chance to save themselves from elimination or else the Pacers will move onto the finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Minnesota Timberwolves.