Twenty points. It’s a number the New York Knicks have grown all too familiar with — just not in the way they'd like. In this postseason, they’ve yet to build a 20-point lead, but they’ve faced that margin from the wrong side more than once.
Sunday night in Gainbridge Fieldhouse was no exception. With 3:20 remaining in the second quarter, Tyrese Haliburton flushed a fast-break dunk that pushed Indiana’s lead to 20, sending the Indiana Pacers crowd into a frenzy. Another game, another deficit. Another test of resilience.
Early foul trouble for Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Karl-Anthony Towns forced head coach Tom Thibodeau into survival mode. The lineup he was left with? McBride, Delon Wright, Landry Shamet, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson — a unit more fitting for an end-of-season grind than a critical Game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The offense stalled. The defense cracked. And after several feeble attempts to cut into the deficit, the Knicks entered the fourth quarter trailing and still searching for a spark.
Then came Karl-Anthony Towns.
With four fouls and just four points to his name entering the final frame, Towns flipped the script. He logged nearly every minute of the fourth, erupting for 20 points and eight rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting — including a barrage from deep that shifted the energy of the game. It was the most he’s ever scored in a postseason quarter.
Karl-Anthony Towns delivered when the Knicks needed him most
And then, just like that, the offense stopped. Towns wouldn’t score again after the 5:10 mark.
But by then, his message had been delivered: I’m still here.
“This is about all of us,” Towns said postgame. “Teammates put me in great spots to succeed. We were just trying to find a way.”
He may not admit it, but this was Towns’ moment — his redemption arc from the scrutiny he faced after Game 2, where his passive play and quiet bench presence drew loud criticism. The Knicks didn’t just lean on him — they handed him the game plan, and he ran with it.
Let’s not forget what it cost to get him here: Julius Randle. Donte DiVincenzo. The gamble was that Towns could rise when it mattered most. Game 3 was the first sign that maybe, just maybe, he can.
Indiana came into the night boasting the best home record in the playoffs. It didn’t matter. The Knicks, battered and bruised, found another improbable way to win. Whether up 10 or down 20, this team continues to find answers in the most chaotic of ways.
For the Pacers, two more wins are still required. For the Knicks, it’s one game at a time.
For Karl-Anthony Towns?
It might be just the beginning.