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The New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers 111-94 on Thursday, securing their NBA playoff aspirations with a 56-point effort from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

With a wire-to-wire victory in front of a star-studded Madison Square Garden crowd, the Knicks, behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals, turned their season around and advanced to game six in Indianapolis on Saturday.

With 32 points, including four three-pointers, Knicks star Brunson spearheaded the attack. With 24 points and 13 rebounds, Towns, whose participation was in doubt until just before tip-off because of a left knee injury sustained in game four, was instrumental.

“We were successful in converting and getting stops early. Brunson told TNT, “We just managed to find a way.” We performed better, in my opinion, according to our standards. We played Knicks basketball tonight, so give them credit.

“It was do or die,” Towns reaffirmed the resolve. I was determined to play this game no matter what.

With 14 points in the opening quarter, Brunson set the tone early as the Knicks jumped out to a 23–13 advantage. Even though Indiana narrowed the deficit to 27-23 at the conclusion of the first quarter, the Knicks maintained their dominance, neutralizing Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and worrying Indiana with their fast-break offense.

At the half, New York had a 56-45 lead, while Haliburton had only managed four points. Haliburton shot two of seven from the field and ended with a series-low eight points.

In game one, the Pacers stunned the Knicks by overcoming a 14-point hole in the fourth quarter. When Indiana sliced a 20-point New York advantage to 10 points in the third quarter, there was a glimpse of another comeback.

The Knicks, however, rallied and increased their advantage once again, winning to preserve the series.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle blamed his team’s poor start for their difficulties, which included being kept below 100 points for the first time in the series. Carlisle said, “We didn’t play with the necessary force.” “We didn’t shoot well and lost the fights for rebounds and turnovers. Give them credit; they were largely responsible for it. We must do much better. We had a bad start, never took the lead in the game, and had several problems. Even though we made some progress, it wasn’t enough.