NBA teams have been warned: a 20-point lead isn’t enough to beat the New York Knicks in the playoffs.
Trailing 2-0 entering Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday in Indianapolis, Tom Thibodeau’s team found itself down 20 in the second quarter before reeling off a 22-7 run in the second half en route to a 106-100 victory.
This was the second time the Knicks overcame a 20-point hole on the road in an all-important playoff matchup, just as they had in Games 1 and 2 of their second-round upset of the Boston Celtics.
Of course, it was the Knicks who blew the big lead in Game 1 of the East Finals. New York surrendered a 17-point advantage at Madison Square Garden before a game-tying 3-pointer by Indiana‘s Tyrese Haliburton, who celebrated with the ‘choke’ sign before leading the Pacers to an overtime win.
And things only got worse for New York in Game 2, where the Knicks lost 114-109 as Pacers forward Pascal Siakam dropped 39 points.
But on Sunday in Indianapolis, none of that seemed to matter for Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, who combined for 47 points while cutting Indiana’s series edge to 2-1. Towns was particularly strong down the stretch, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter and finishing with a game-high 15 rebounds.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns reacts after scoring against the Indiana Pacers
It wasn’t easy, but Knicks guard Jalen Brunson had 23 points against the Pacers on Sunday
Knicks fan Timothée Chalamet made the trip to Indianapolis, where he got to see a Knicks win
‘It’s a true test when you’re down 20-plus,’ Towns said. ‘Tonight was the kind of night where he had to have that never-say-die attitude.
‘They put me in great spots to succeed, and I just wanted to capitalize on the opportunity,’ Towns added. ‘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.’
Indiana struggled considerably from deep, making just 5 of 25 3-point attempts.
Haliburton, himself, was just 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, while finishing with a team-high 20 points.
The Knicks, meanwhile, hit 11 of 32 from deep, including 4 of 6 attempts by OG Anunoby.
New York appeared completely overwhelmed in the first half as TJ McConnell dropped 10 points for Indiana to push the half-time lead to 58-45.
In fact, the Pacers had a 13-0 run in the second quarter, when they appeared destined to cruise to a 3-0 series lead.
Instead, New York can even the series on Tuesday in Indianapolis. Game 4 is scheduled to tip-off just after 8pm.
