5-Point Takeaways from the Knicks-Pacers Game as New York Focuses on Defense Sixth game

The Brunson-Towns duo continues to cook, New York’s defense acts desperate, and Indiana fails to score in Game 5.

In the fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals, Jalen Brunson scores 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting, and New York avoids elimination.

NEW YORK – On Thursday, the New York Knicks defended as if their season was at stake.

The Knicks, who had been battered by the Indiana Pacers offense for the majority of the Eastern Conference Finals, discovered a method to slow down the offense when they faced elimination for the first time this postseason. In what may have been their most impressive defensive performance of the season, the Knicks secured stops early and frequently on their way to a 111-94 victory in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks never trailed and scored on their first five possessions. Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points and 13 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (32 points and five assists) were the top performers on the offensive end, and we are in for a significant Game 6 in Indiana on Saturday (8 ET, TNT).

Here are some notes, quotes, data, and film as the Pacers were held to less than one point per possession for the first time in these playoffs…

1. Knicks’ defense employs a desperate approach

Although they may not possess as much offensive prowess as certain other teams, the Pacers may possess the most difficult-to-defend offense. They ranked second in ball movement and led the postseason in player movement heading into Game 5.

The Knicks were unable to maintain their pace during the initial four games, allowing 121.1 points per 100 possessions, their most challenging defensive span since the All-Star break.

“In this series, we have not experienced a dearth of scoring,” Towns stated. “It has been more about our failure to prevent them from scoring.”

In Game 5, the Knicks secured stops, limiting the Pacers to 94 points on 97 possessions, their lowest offensive performance of the postseason by a substantial margin.

Indiana intentionally made some poor attempts, but they also had to do so due to the Knicks’ late-game pressure, which compelled them into no-advantage opportunities.

Indiana continued to dominate in the early stages of the game, accruing a series-best 31 transition points on 22 possessions, as indicated by Synergy tracking. However, the Knicks were able to secure the area once they were able to establish a base.

Early in the third quarter, Mitchell Robinson exerted pressure on Myles Turner, resulting in a turnover that ignited the Garden audience. However, in order to limit the Pacers to a point per possession for 48 minutes, two or more defenders must make substantial contributions.

The Knicks had one of their most impressive defensive sequences of the game when Indiana began to gain some offensive momentum late in the first quarter. The sequence commenced with Miles McBride clearing a screen for Tyrese Haliburton, and Josh Hart closing out to Obi Toppin and remaining in front of his drive. Hart then shifted his attention to T.J. McConnell and prevented him from reaching his position.

New York Knicks’ defense

Brunson hedged a screen for Haliburton, which enabled Ben Sheppard to emerge at the top of the arc. However, Mikal Bridges rotated over from the weak side, and McBride scrambled out to Bridges’ target. Bridges subsequently prevented Sheppard from executing a clean shot in the paint.

New York Knicks’ defense

The defense has a greater degree of control over the opponent’s shooting in the interior than it does over its shooting from the perimeter. The Pacers’ worst performance in the playoffs and their third-worst of the season was on Thursday, when they fired 17-for-37 (46%) in the paint.

2. Brunson and Towns persist in their culinary endeavors.

The offense from Brunson and Towns was not a factor in the Knicks’ struggles during the first four games. However, they still require those players to score frequently and effectively in order to remain competitive in this series.

On Thursday, the Knicks’ starting lineup was outscored by the entire Pacers starting lineup, 56-37, with the Knicks’ players contributing 56 points on a true shooting percentage of 67%. This was not an issue.

Brunson started the game on a high note, netting six points before the Pacers had attempted a shot. In this series, Aaron Nesmith has been Brunson’s most formidable opponent; however, Brunson did not pursue switches at the outset and instead directed his shot directly at Nesmith for two of the three baskets.

When the Knicks did establish screens for him, Brunson did not require a significant advantage to travel to his desired destination. In the second half, the Knicks’ smallest margins were 10 points, and their point guard provided them with additional separation on both occasions when the game was close.

The second of those baskets was a challenging floater off the glass, with Benedict Mathurin on his hip…

drive of Jalen Brunson

Turner, on the other hand, continued to be attacked by Towns as if he were not even close to seven feet tall.

The Karl-Anthony Towns Drive

Brunson’s 32 and 5 marks him as the fourth player in NBA history to achieve at least 10 games with at least 30 points and five assists in a single postseason, following Michael Jordan (three times), LeBron James (three times), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (also this year).

In his nine-year career, Towns is currently experiencing his most successful offensive postseason series. His true shooting percentage of 64.0% is his third highest mark, and his 25.4 points are his highest average in those nine series by a substantial margin.

3. The Knicks maintain a substantial reserve.

Tom Thibodeau, the head coach of the New York Knicks, refrained from reducing his rotation as his team was on the brink of elimination. However, he utilized an adequate number of players to constitute a baseball team, complete with a designated hitter.

Real rotation time was granted to Delon Wright and Landry Shamet for the third consecutive game. Additionally, Thibodeau utilized Precious Achiuwa as a 10th man due to Towns’ foul trouble and the Pacers’ intentional fouling of Mitchell Robinson.

The reserve minutes were subpar; New York was outscored by nine points during Towns’ 12:14 off the floor. However, the reserves were able to maintain the starters’ freshness in a game in which they were evidently employing additional energy on defense. Shamet recorded his highest-scoring game of the postseason with five points, and he and Wright both secured critical defensive stops.

The Knicks’ reserves averaged only 63.5 minutes per game during the regular season, the lowest mark for any team in the past 15 seasons. They achieved an average of only 52.0 points per game during the second game of this series. However, the Knicks’ reserves have played an average of 76.7 minutes in the past three games.

Last year’s conference semifinals between these two teams resulted in the Knicks losing the war of attrition and having only three of their top eight players available by the conclusion of Game 7. Although it is unlikely that Achiuwa, Shamet, or Wright will significantly impact a game with their play on either end of the floor, their minutes may enable the top seven players to have sufficient energy in the event that another Knicks-Pacers series extends beyond the normal time frame.

4. Pacers are unsuccessful.

Although the Knicks’ defense was better, the Pacers’ shot quality was not their lowest of the series. According to Second Spectrum tracking, it was substantially worse in Games 2 and 3. They neglected to observe certain attractive features.

Rick Carlisle, the coach of the Pacers, stated, “I believed there were periods during which we had good shots but failed to convert.” “However, it was ultimately inadequate.”

The Pacers’ offensive performance was less deliberate than it had been during the first four games. Brunson was the screener’s defender in only 13 ball-screens, a decrease from his career-high 29 in Game 4.

Haliburton, who played 32 minutes in Game 5, was the catalyst of the Pacers’ offense, scoring only eight points. He has now averaged 21.3 points (on 48% shooting) in the Pacers’ 11 postseason victories and only 11.5 points (on 39%) in their four losses. He accepted culpability for the inadequate performance on Thursday.

“It was a difficult night for me,” he acknowledged. “I must improve, as I am on the decline.” I am of the opinion that I did not perform exceptionally well in that regard.

5. Is it possible for the Knicks to replicate their success?

It requires a significant amount of energy to impede the Pacers’ offense. The Knicks were able to accomplish this feat once, thereby prolonging their season by a minimum of 48 hours.

Pascal Siakam stated, “They played with more intensity than we did, including rebounding and securing loose balls.” “We must be capable of winning that conflict.”

On Saturday, the Pacers will have another opportunity to capitalize on their success, as the Knicks will be required to deliver an equally exceptional performance. This has been a series that has been evenly matched, with the Pacers leading 3-2 and the Knicks having a slight advantage in total scoring (582-576). The outcome of four of the five contests was uncertain.

Despite the fact that the Pacers have not lost two consecutive games since March 10, the Knicks are 6-2 on the road in these playoffs.

The victor is anticipated by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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