Knicks Stun Pacers With Late Surge in Game 3: Towns Dominates, Indiana Falters in Crunch Time

Knicks Flip the Script in Indianapolis With Furious Fourth-Quarter Comeback

You thought the Indiana Pacers had Game 3 in the bag, didn’t you? By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, most folks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse were feeling pretty good about a 3-0 series lead over the New York Knicks. But then Karl-Anthony Towns decided he'd had enough of being on the ropes.

Towns exploded for 20 points in that relentless final period, dragging New York to a stunning 106-100 win and snatching the thunder right out of Indiana’s home crowd. His stat line turned heads—24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, three triples, and an imposing 15 rebounds. But it’s his fourth-quarter heroics that Pacers fans might be seeing in their nightmares.

Indiana Falls Apart Under Pressure as Knicks Capitalize

After three quarters of mostly sharp play, the Pacers looked rattled as everything started slipping away. Tyrese Haliburton did what he could, leading Indiana with 20 points and keeping the offense humming—for a while. His 7-for-15 night from the floor should’ve been enough, but no one else found their rhythm when it mattered most. Pascal Siakam, who the Pacers hoped would shine in big moments, faded into the background. Meanwhile, every New York possession in crunch time seemed to flow straight through Towns, who bullied Indiana’s interior defense at will.

It wasn’t just scoring, either. Defense made the difference when it counted. Obi Toppin delivered the play of the night with a gutsy block on a driving Siakam, energizing the Knicks' bench and quieting the Indiana faithful. The Knicks strung together stops, forced turnovers, and milked the clock, all while Indiana looked powerless to change the tempo. In a high-stakes playoff matchup, that kind of defensive backbone is what flips games—and sometimes whole series.

Haliburton and his crew will face plenty of questions ahead of Game 4. If you listened to their postgame comments, you heard the frustration. Everyone in the locker room knows closing out playoff games isn’t just about talent; it’s about execution when your legs are heavy and everyone’s watching. Indiana’s late-game planning and decision-making, especially when the ball pressure ramped up, just wasn’t there.

• Karl-Anthony Towns sealed his Karl-Anthony Towns moment with timely buckets and boards
• Obi Toppin’s chase-down swat shifted momentum squarely to New York
• Indiana’s offense managed just 16 points in the fourth, repeatedly stalling against a suddenly locked-in Knicks defense

Now, the Pacers still lead the series 2-1, but the chatter is very different than it was after Game 2. The Knicks have momentum. The Pacers have doubt. Game 4 suddenly means everything—because another late-game collapse could flip the whole series on its head.