Karl-Anthony Towns fuels Knicks’ Game 3 comeback win over Pacers
Karl-Anthony Towns scores 20 fourth-quarter points as New York Knicks rally from 20-point deficit to win Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
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| Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers defends Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks during the first quarter of Game Three in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images |
By Widya Putri and Randy Ahmad
The New York Knicks, once again defying the odds, kept their playoff hopes alive Sunday night as Karl-Anthony Towns delivered a late-game performance for the ages. In a pulsating Game 3 of the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 106-100 and cut the series deficit to 2-1. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in Indianapolis.
The narrative of this postseason continued to be rewritten, this time by Karl-Anthony Towns, who erupted for 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter alone. His offensive surge and timely plays allowed the New York Knicks to flip the script and seize their first lead since the opening quarter.
“It’s a series,” Towns said, encapsulating the roller-coaster nature of these Eastern finals.
Eastern finals drama continues
Each game of the series has featured dramatic shifts in momentum and late-game heroics. Game 1 saw the Pacers storm back from a 17-point deficit, capped by Tyrese Haliburton’s controversial game-tying shot that just barely touched the three-point line. Aaron Nesmith’s six three-pointers in five minutes fueled that comeback, which ended in an overtime Pacers victory.
Game 2 followed a similar pattern, with the Knicks almost erasing a late deficit, despite Towns sitting out much of the fourth quarter due to ineffective play. But in Game 3, Towns turned that narrative on its head with a dominant finish that saved New York’s postseason hopes.
So far in the 2025 playoffs, there have been six comebacks of 20 points or more. The Knicks own three of them — two against the Boston Celtics and now one against Indiana. Meanwhile, the Pacers have pulled off two such rallies themselves. New York has become the first team since at least 1998 to win three games after trailing by 20 or more, all of which came on the road.
“I know you guys roll your eyes when I say ‘no lead is safe,’ but no lead is safe,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game.
A tale of toughness and resilience
Sunday’s win wasn’t just about Towns’ fourth-quarter heroics. The Knicks made notable changes to their starting lineup and rotation. Mitchell Robinson started over Josh Hart, while Delon Wright and Landry Shamet took second-unit minutes previously held by Cam Payne. Before Game 3, New York’s starting lineup had been outscored by 50 points in the playoffs.
Yet, for much of Game 3, it appeared those changes would amount to nothing. The Knicks fell behind by 20 in the second quarter and were still trailing by 15 with two minutes left in the third. The momentum shifted when Indiana’s Game 1 standout Nesmith rolled his right ankle at the 6:06 mark of the third quarter. He returned in the fourth but was clearly compromised, limiting his defensive impact and shooting ability.
“You lose a guy like that, it affects your ability to close a quarter,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle admitted. “But we’re not gonna make excuses. We just simply did not execute as well as we needed to.”
Brunson and Towns lead the charge
Jalen Brunson, battling foul trouble once again, contributed 23 points for the Knicks, following up a gritty Game 1 performance where he played with five fouls. OG Anunoby chipped in 16 points, while Mikal Bridges added 15.
On Indiana’s side, Haliburton led with 20 points, followed by Myles Turner’s 19 and Pascal Siakam’s 17.
For the first three quarters, Towns was largely ineffective, going 2-of-8 from the field and frequently targeted on defense. But his transformation in the final 12 minutes was nothing short of remarkable. He went 6-of-9 in the quarter, nailed three three-pointers, and hauled in eight rebounds. The highlight came at the 8:02 mark, when he delivered a thunderous dunk over Nesmith and completed the three-point play to give the Knicks an 87-85 lead — their first since early in the game.
“Teammates put me in great spots to succeed,” Towns said. “I just wanted to capitalize on the opportunity.”
Injury concerns loom
As the final seconds ticked down, health concerns began to cloud the Knicks’ triumph. Towns was seen clutching his left knee late in the fourth and asked to be subbed out with under 40 seconds remaining. On the Pacers’ next possession, Turner missed a three-pointer, and Hart, securing the rebound, appeared to land awkwardly on his right knee. Despite visible discomfort, Hart stayed in the game and sank two free throws that sealed the win. Towns also returned before the final buzzer.
Knicks coach Thibodeau, never one to shy away from praising his team’s grit, took a moment to recognize the team’s medical staff.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but our medical team is always the best in the league,” Thibodeau said with a smirk. “Both of those guys (Towns and Hart) are mentally tough, which I think is huge.”
Pacers stumble down the stretch
Indiana’s offense sputtered in the fourth quarter, scoring just 19 points on 5-of-19 shooting and going 1-of-8 from three. Turner’s ill-advised 28-foot three-point attempt with 23 seconds left — when the shot clock still had nine seconds remaining — summed up their late-game struggles.
“They had a lot of their better defenders in the game in the second half. That makes it harder,” Carlisle explained.
The Pacers have now lost Game 3 in each of their three playoff series this year. In both previous cases, they rebounded to win Game 4 — a pattern they hope to replicate Tuesday night.
Road dominance defines this series
Perhaps the most surprising trend in this series has been the home-court disadvantage. All three games have been won by the visiting team, an anomaly that continues to highlight the unpredictable nature of this matchup.
“We just have to keep playing our style of basketball and keep grinding it out,” Brunson said. “Got a lot of respect for them over there.”
Should the Knicks complete the turnaround and win the series after dropping the first two games, they would become only the sixth team in NBA history to do so — and the first to achieve it in the conference finals.
Game 4 promises more intrigue as both teams nurse key injuries and look to regain control in what has become one of the most dramatic series of the 2025 NBA playoffs. With Karl-Anthony Towns leading the charge and the New York Knicks showing unmatched resilience, the battle for the Eastern Conference crown is far from over.
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