Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns Rally Past Pacers, Close Gap in Eastern Conference Finals

New York now trails Indiana 2–1 in the best-of-seven series.

Towns reacts during Sunday night's win. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks entered Sunday night's contest with their backs against the wall, desperately looking for a win as they stared a 3–0 Eastern Conference finals deficit in the face.

Taking said positioning to heart—and behind a 20-point fourth quarter from star forward Karl-Anthony Towns—New York rallied from being down by 15 points in the second half and turned in a 106–100 win over the Indiana Pacers, cutting their opponents' series lead to 2–1.

Don't count 'em out 😤 pic.twitter.com/12HaqxKYol

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 26, 2025

The story of this one began with some questionable substitution decisions by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. Known for playing his top guys until relative exhaustion, the 67-year-old instead decided to debut a role-player-filled lineup in the second quarter—one that dug his team into a first-half deficit that reached 20 points in the late second quarter.

As mentioned above, however, New York fought back. Once trailing 78–63 late in the third quarter, the Knicks outscored Indiana by 21 points over the final fifteen minutes to secure the much-needed victory. Alongside Towns's aforementioned performance, star guard Jalen Brunson turned in a 23-point night of his own on 6 for 18 shooting.

On the losing side, it was once again Tyrese Haliburton who led the way for the Pacers, pouring in 20 points while dishing out six assists and corrallng four rebounds. Center Miles Turner added 19 of his own—but it wasn't enough for the surging Knicks. Indiana scored just 42 points in the second half.

Much closer than any of us thought it would be during the first half of Sunday night, the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals will continue on Tuesday night from Indiana's Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Game 4 is set to tip off at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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