Brunson, Towns carry Knicks to 111-94 victory that cuts Pacers’ series lead to 3-2

NEW YORK (AP) — From Jalen Brunson’s sizzling start to the “Knicks in 7! Knicks in 7!” chants at the finish, this was New York’s night.

Maybe it can still be the Knicks’ series.

Brunson scored 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds despite a bruised left knee and the Knicks stayed alive in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Indiana Pacers 111-94 on Thursday in Game 5.

The Knicks won on their home floor for the first time in the series and prevented the Pacers from earning the second NBA Finals trip in franchise history. Indiana will try again Saturday night at home.

“It’s a testament to our team answering the call,” Towns said.

New York extended its first trip to the conference finals since 2000 and kept alive hopes of becoming the 14th team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. No team has won a conference finals series after dropping the first two games at home.

Two nights after giving up 43 points in the first quarter, the Knicks held the Pacers to just 45 in the first half and limited Tyrese Haliburton, who had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds Tuesday, to just eight points and six assists.

Brunson, outplayed by his point guard counterpart Tuesday, rebounded with his franchise-record 21st postseason game of 30 or more points with the Knicks.

“Our backs were against the wall. So, I mean, we’ve got to give it everything we got,” Brunson said.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench for the Pacers, who had won six straight road games. Indiana shot just 40.5% from the field in by far its lowest-scoring game of the postseason.

“We obviously didn’t play with the level of force that we needed to,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We lost the rebound battle. We lost the turnover battle. We didn’t shoot well. They had a lot to do with it. So, give them a lot of credit and we’re going to have to play better.”

Brunson scored 14 on 6-for-9 shooting in the first quarter as the Knicks held a 27-23 lead — giving up 20 fewer points than in the first quarter of Game 4, when they trailed 43-35.

Towns, who was questionable to play after hurting his left knee in a collision late in Game 4, picked up the slack with 12 in the second, when Brunson was scoreless.

Brunson came back with the Knicks’ first eight of the third quarter as they opened a 20-point lead midway through the period. The Pacers cut that in half before New York regained control with a 12-0 burst, highlighted by Brunson’s four-point play, to make it 86-64.