Karl-Anthony Towns started the game without scoring in the first quarter on Friday night, but Mitchell Robinson’s significant impact during much of the first half allowed KAT to take on more offensive responsibilities independently. He went on to score 20 points in the last three quarters as a result.

Nevertheless, Towns remained on the bench for almost seven minutes during the fourth quarter. Coach Tom Thibodeau opted to keep the defensively focused Robinson on the floor as the sole big player until the Pacers began deliberately fouling him. Towns eventually returned with just 2:25 left in the game as the Knicks suffered their second consecutive home defeat in the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers, ending with a score of 114-109 at Madison Square Garden.

“Just we found ourselves in a difficult situation, and the team that was involved provided us with an opportunity,” Thibodeau stated.



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“We were simply going with the flow, and I was looking for a victory.”

During Towns’ 28 minutes on the court, the Knicks trailed by 20 points. Their starters dug them into a quick 10-point deficit. However, Robinson and Miles McBride injected defensive and offensive intensity from the bench, helping the team take a narrow 52-49 advantage into halftime.

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Indiana big man Pascal Siakam finished with a game-high 39 points on 15-for-23 from the floor.

“We need him to be aggressive offensively. We need him to be locked in and communicate defensively. That’s all we need from him,” Josh Hart said of Towns. “We need him to communicate at a high level. Offensively, be aggressive, get to his spots, get deep post position, and use his talent offensively. Defensively, be locked in, communicate at a high level and be an anchor for us.”

Robinson played 16 consecutive minutes — several on the court together with Towns — before coming out to a standing ovation with 1:42 left in the second quarter.


He finished the game with six points, nine rebounds (four offensive), three blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 29 minutes, his most playing time in this year’s playoffs.

“It’s tough to lose any way,” Towns replied when asked about sitting for much of the fourth quarter. “So we’ve just got to regroup together for the next one.

We’re essentially digging our own hole by falling behind, and as I mentioned before, we can’t continue like this. We won’t always manage to recover and end up victorious. It’s crucial for us to focus on executing better and showing more discipline.