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INDIANAPOLIS -- The New York Knicks' season was on the ropes as they entered the final quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday night.
Through the first three periods, the Indiana Pacers -- already up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series -- seemingly withstood the boost New York got from its starting lineup change. In that span, the Pacers had drawn four fouls on All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson and held him to just 4-for-14 from the field. And the home crowd was digging its heels in, enjoying a double-digit Indiana lead that got as high as 20 points in the first half.
But then Karl-Anthony Towns -- coming off a highly scrutinized Game 2 showing and a brutal first three quarters Sunday -- came to life and perhaps saved the Knicks' campaign. He scored 20 points in the fourth -- matching Indiana's entire output in that quarter -- doing just enough until Brunson hit a tiebreaking 12-foot floater with 1:17 left to give New York a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
In coming back from 20 down to win Game 3, 106-100, the Knicks cut their deficit in the series in half and avoided falling into the dreaded 3-0 hole that no NBA team has ever managed to come back from. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
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"I know you guys roll your eyes when I say no lead is safe, but no lead is safe," said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who has now presided over three wins this postseason with his team trailing by 20 points. New York also came back from a 14-point deficit in its second-round series with the defending champion Boston Celtics.
It would have been hard to blame someone for doubting the Knicks' ability to come back this time.
Thibodeau's choice to go to a different starting lineup -- one with backup center Mitchell Robinson in place of wing Josh Hart -- completely changed the look of the rotation, particularly once guard Miles McBride acquired three fouls and Brunson had four in the first half.
Towns, too, was saddled with early foul trouble and had just 4 points after three periods.
So as the Knicks fell behind by 20 points and frustrations piled up, Thibodeau turned to a handful of unheralded role players -- guards Delon Wright and Landry Shamet among them -- to try and stay in the game.
"I think at first, it kind of took [our group] a little bit to figure out what we were going to do offensively. But that unit was full of guys who have been in the league and who know how to play basketball," Hart said of players like Shamet and Wright, who haven't played much this postseason. "It's huge to have guys who stay ready. It doesn't matter the situation. That's exactly why you stay ready."
The guards were solid defensively, clamping down a previously hot Pacers offense to start the fourth while Towns handled just about everything the Knicks needed on offense.
|Games 1-2|Game 3|
|---|---|---|
|PPG|19.5|7.0|
|FG|17-33|3-14|
|3-pt FG|3-11|0-5|
He started New York's scoring in that period with a 27-foot triple, followed that up with a layup on the ensuing play, then grabbed a defensive rebound and fired a long outlet pass to Wright for another lay-in.
Towns contributed to the Knicks' first 17 points of the fourth, either by scoring or assisting baskets over the first four minutes of the quarter.
"The game wasn't looking great for me. But for all of us, I just wanted to do whatever it takes to help put us in a position to win," said Towns, who finished with a game-high 24 points, shooting 6-of-9 and pulling down 8 rebounds in the final frame.
Because of how well his big man was playing, and because Brunson was saddled with five fouls, Thibodeau kept Brunson, the Clutch Player of the Year, on the bench until just 1:37 remained in the contest. It was on the following play, 20 seconds of game time later, that Brunson hit the go-ahead basket.
"It's an emotional game; it's a long game. Things can happen; things can not go your way. You can easily crash out, or you can respond the right way," Brunson said.