Knicks Keep Hopes Alive in NBA Playoffs with Game 5 Win Over Pacers

Knicks Rally in Game 5 to Extend Playoff Series

Things got intense at Madison Square Garden as the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals reached another turning point. On May 29, 2025, the New York Knicks faced elimination for the third time under Tom Thibodeau, but they flipped the script with a 111-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5. The win means New York still has a shot, dragging the series back to Indiana for Game 6 instead of heading home early.

The Pacers came in up 3-1, needing just one more win to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in decades. A win would’ve set a new franchise record for series-clinching victories, plus stamped Indiana as the lowest ever fourth seed to drop one game or fewer in each round since 1984. But New York wasn’t ready to watch someone else cut the nets down on their home court yet.

Key Performances and Game Swingers

All eyes were on Tyrese Haliburton, who just days earlier wrote his name in the playoff history books. In Game 4, he posted a wild 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, and zero turnovers—the kind of line you expect from Hall-of-Famers like Oscar Robertson or Nikola Jokic, not a 24-year-old point guard on the brink of his first Finals appearance. He was the first player in nearly half a century to rack up 30-plus points, 15 or more assists, and no turnovers in a playoff game. But Game 5 was a different story, as Haliburton still ran the Pacers’ offense but never found the same rhythm under pressure from New York’s aggressive guards.

The Knicks leaned on their tough trio: Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and Josh Hart. Brunson was everywhere, using his footwork and creativity to go at Haliburton. Randle played bully-ball in the paint, getting to the line and finishing through contact. But it was Hart’s hustle—crashing the boards, switching on defense, and making timely put-backs—that sparked New York’s second-half run. While Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith answered with a few perimeter shots for Indiana, they couldn’t shift the game’s momentum.

You could see the Pacers start to unravel in the second half. Nimari Burnett had trouble holding onto the ball, coughing it up six times. The team as a whole struggled to maintain their early pace, especially as the Knicks turned defense into easy points. The bench battle wasn’t even close—New York’s reserves poured in energy and buckets, making Indiana’s second unit look flat-footed by comparison.

• New York’s big surge came in the third quarter, pulling away with a double-digit cushion and never letting Indiana get within single digits in the fourth.
• Haliburton’s earlier heroics stood in contrast to Game 5, where the Pacers’ offense felt rushed and predictable.
• The Knicks improved to 1-3 in do-or-die games under Thibodeau, finally proving they can deliver when the walls are closing in.
• Pacer fans were left holding their breath, waiting to see if their team’s Cinderella run can find that last bit of magic in Game 6.

With the next showdown headed back to Indiana, the story’s far from over. The Pacers still need just one win to make history; the Knicks, though, are chasing an improbable comeback and riding the wave of confidence after a gutsy home performance.