Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks Pummel Pacers, Keep Season Alive

Thousands of would-be doctors gathered at Madison Square Garden were more than happy to give New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns a clean bill of health.

Listed as questionable on the metropolitan injury report entering Game 5 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night, Towns left no doubt in a 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers. Putting up a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double, as well as a plus-26 on the scoreboard, Towns kept the Knicks' season alive and narrowed Indiana's lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven set.

Towns' fellow All-Star Jalen Brunson led all participants in scoring with 32 tallies, going 12-of-18 from the field in a game exclusively led by the Knicks. The metropolitan duo is the first pair in NBA history to scored at least 20 points in the first five parts of a conference final series since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did so for the 2002 Los Angeles Lakers.

The brilliant offensive outing of Brunson and Towns were staged perfectly by the Knicks' defensive dominance: no Indiana starter put up more than 15 points the leader (Pascal Siakam) was the only Pacer starter in double-figures.

Game 6 shifts back to Indianapolis where stage two of the potential comeback will be staged at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (8 p.m. ET, TNT).