The New York Knicks are at home on Thursday night as take on the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
New York enters Thursday’s game in a must-win scenario after they were unable to tie up the series in Game 4, instead falling into 3-1 hole.
Of course, the Knicks have been outplayed by the Pacers throughout the series and they have had a tough time stopping both Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam but they will quickly need to change things if they want to keep their season alive.
Unfortunately for New York, they may be without one of their star players in Thursday’s game as they have listed Karl-Anthony Towns as questionable.
The Knicks have listed Towns as questionable due to a knee contusion that he suffered during Game 4 on Tuesday night.
This is a massive blow for the Knicks as Towns has been a key reason for their success this season and if he is unable to play, it would be a major letdown for a team trying to keep their championship hopes alive.
Despite this, it is likely that Towns will play in Thursday’s game though he may be on a minutes restriction but if he is unable to play, expect Josh Hart to return to the starting lineup with Mitchell Robinson filling the starting center position.
New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns
New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns
© Brad Penner-Imagn Images
On the other side, the Pacers may also be without one of their key players as they have listed Aaron Nesmith on their injury report.
Indiana has listed Nesmith as questionable due to an ankle sprain that he suffered in Game 3 but he was able to play through the injury in Game 4.
Because of this, it is likely that Nesmith will once again suit up on Thursday night as the Pacers try to advance to the NBA Finals with a victory.
Fans can catch Thursday’s Game 5 matchup between the Pacers and Knicks at 8:00 p.m. EST on TNT.