The Knicks pulled off another playoff miracle last night, with Karl-Anthony Towns stepping up in dramatic fashion after star Jalen Brunson fouled out. Towns exploded for 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, leading New York to a stunning 106-100 comeback win over Indiana in Game 3.
Down by 20 points and without their best player, the Knicks somehow found a way.
“It’s a true test when you’re down 20-plus,” said Towns, who also grabbed 15 rebounds against the Pacers. “Tonight was the kind of night where we had to have that never-say-die attitude.”
This marks the third time this postseason the Knicks have erased a 20-point deficit to win. It’s also their third straight road victory.
The Pacers still lead the Eastern Conference finals 2-1, but the momentum has clearly shifted.
Towns refused to take all the credit for the comeback. “They put me in great spots to succeed, and I just wanted to capitalize on the opportunity,” he said. “All of us are just trying to do whatever it takes to win, get ourselves back in the game. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to where at the end of the game we found ourselves with a chance of winning.”
Brunson, who could only watch from the bench during most of the final quarter, praised his team’s fighting spirit.
“We’re built on a great team, great chemistry, great togetherness,” he said. “It’s tough watching from the sidelines but I have the upmost confidence in my teammates.”
For Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton led the way with 20 points and 6 assists, while Myles Turner added 19 points.
Here’s a weird stat: The Pacers are now 0-4 all-time when playing on the same day as the Indianapolis 500, with two of those losses coming against the Knicks.
The Pacers, who have shown their own comeback ability in this series, played Aaron Nesmith in the fourth quarter despite his sprained right ankle. Coach Rick Carlisle isn’t sure if his top defender will be available for Monday’s Game 4.
“Regardless of who’s out there, we’ve got to be able to attack better and do the things to maintain it and finish the game,” Carlisle said after the loss. “We just simply did not execute as well as we needed to.”
