Knicks Stave Off Elimination with Karl-Anthony Towns Fourth-Quarter Heroics

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers were on the brink of a 3-0 series lead over the New York Knicks, but a late-game collapse by the Pacers allowed the Knicks to pull off a stunning comeback in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Pacers had pushed their lead to 20 points in the second quarter, but the Knicks refused to go away quietly. In the fourth quarter, Karl-Anthony Towns, who had struggled throughout the game, came alive and scored 20 of his 24 points to spark a 12-minute comeback that stunned the Pacers faithful in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Towns’ late-game heroics were not in vain, as the Knicks went on to win 106-100 and avoid going down 3-0 in the series.

“Fourth quarter’s different,” he said. “Feels like a whole ’nother game.”

Towns’ performance was not just a one-man show. The Knicks’ defense clamped down in the second half, holding the Pacers to just 42 points on 14-for-38 shooting (36.8%) from the field and 2 of 12 (16.7%) from 3-point range. With as many turnovers as assists (eight), the Pacers’ high-octane offense was stifled by the Knicks’ defensive effort.

“You have to come out with that intensity, the physicality, the ball pressure to start the game,” Knicks wing Mikal Bridges said. “We rebounded the ball and then we got out in transition, got easy buckets, so defensively, it was huge.”

Towns’ offensive arsenal was on full display in the fourth quarter. He scored at three different levels, whether operating out of the post, stepping back behind the 3-point line for quick-trigger set shots that found the bottom of the net, or driving to the cup. He even drew a foul on a hard left-hand drive and finish through contact that landed him in a heap on the baseline.

“The and-one, and he started finger-pointing — I think that's when I knew,” Knicks guard Miles McBride said when asked when he started to feel like Towns was truly cooking. “Honestly, he’s a special player. He did what he had to do tonight.”

Towns’ performance was not just about his individual numbers. He also provided a spark for his teammates, who were able to capitalize on his efforts and pull off the comeback.

“Did you really expect anything less from JB?” Towns said, referring to Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. “He got that award for a reason. We knew when we got in that fourth quarter, we got late in the game, he got back in the game, I think we all felt very confident that if we could get him the ball, we’d see some buckets happen.”

Brunson’s runner put the Knicks ahead for good as New York won the free-throw-shooting contest over the final minute to close out the win and get on the board in the best-of-seven series. After the game, Brunson attributed his late-game success despite early-game struggles to an understanding of how to ride the rollercoaster that is high-stakes postseason basketball.

“It's an emotional game. It's a long game,” Brunson said. “Things can happen. Things can not go your way. And you can easily crash out, or you can respond