INDIANAPOLIS – In yet another thriller, where the injuries seemed to stockpile and one of the participants climbed out of a deep hole again, Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks remain alive in the Eastern Conference finals after taking Game 3.
Towns scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks came back from 20 points down to beat the Indiana Pacers, 106-100. The Pacers still lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 set for 8 p.m. Tuesday in Indianapolis.
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And what a series it’s been. Game 1, of course, saw the Pacers come from a 17-point deficit to tie it on Tyrese Haliburton’s shot, hit the Reggie Miller choker pose and win it in overtime. The Knicks had a chance to win Game 2 despite trailing by nine points with just a few minutes left, and Towns sat for a large stretch of the final quarter in that game because he was largely ineffective.
There have been six comebacks of 20 or more points in the 2025 playoffs, and the Knicks have three. They are trying to become just the sixth playoff team in history — and first in the conference finals — to lose the first two games but win the series.
The Knicks changed their starting lineup and rotation Sunday night, inserting Mitchell Robinson with the starters and turning to Delon Wright over Cam Payne with the second unit. Entering play Sunday, New York’s starters had been outscored by 50 points when on the court together during the playoffs.
All the changes seemed to be for naught, as the Knicks trailed by 20 in the second quarter and were still down 15 with about two minutes left in the third. Momentum had begun to shift, however, when Game 1 hero Aaron Nesmith turned his right ankle with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter. Nesmith returned with about seven minutes left in the game, but was clearly hobbled and was not nearly as effective at either end of the quarter, either knocking down shots or bothering Jalen Brunson.
Towns, who sat for much of the final quarter in a close loss Friday in Game 2, struggled for three quarters, making 2-of-8 shots and continuing to be targeted on defense. He turned the narrative by making six of nine shots, three 3 points, and grabbing eight rebounds in the fourth quarter Sunday. He had a jaw-dropping dunk over Nesmith and made the ensuing free throw with 8:02 left for an 87-85 lead for the Knicks — their first since the first quarter. Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points and Brunson added 23 points for the Knicks.
But Towns was noticeably clutching his left knee toward the end of the game and asked out with 37.6 seconds left and the Knicks ahead by two. Myles Turner missed a 3 on the Pacers’ next possession and Josh Hart corralled the rebound, but appeared to land awkwardly on his right knee. Hart stayed in the game and made both foul shots, and Towns was back on the court before the final buzzer sounded, too. But the two Knicks and Nesmith will all require extra ice, at minimum.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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