How Did New York Overturn a 20-Point Deficit Behind Towns? The Shocking Game 3 That Could Change Their Season Forever
When the stakes are sky-high and the clock’s winding down… that’s when heroes emerge. For the New York Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t just a midseason addition—he became the roadmap out of desperation. Trailing by double digits on enemy turf, with their playoff lives on the edge, Towns stepped up in a way that silenced any doubters, pouring in 20 crucial points in the final quarter to turn the tide. Sure, he battled foul trouble and stumbled early with his shot, but once he found his groove, the Knicks’ resilience ignited. Under the watchful eye of Tom Thibodeau—who wasn’t shy about shaking up lineups and trusting the bench—the team clawed back from a 20-point deficit and rewrote the narrative of this Eastern Conference Finals. Defense tightened, energy surged, and suddenly what seemed like a lost cause transformed into a renewed opportunity. It’s not just about a single game; it’s the kind of moment that underscores why Towns was acquired in the first place—a game-changer when it mattered most. Trust me, with the series still in the balance, Tuesday’s Game 4 just got a whole lot more intriguing.
NEW YORK PUT THE CLAMPS ON TO COMPLETE THEIR THIRD 20-POINT COMEBACK OF THE 2025 PLAYOFFS ‼️New York can even the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday at 8:00pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/g160G7HOpb
Thibodeau made his big move before the game, starting Mitchell Robinson next to Karl-Anthony Towns and sending Josh Hart to the bench — and it worked out of the gate. Indiana shot 2-of-8 to open the game (although some of that was just missed open looks) and they had just one assist early, allowing New York to get out to a 15-10 lead.A stretch in the second quarter summed up this game because both teams ran everything through or at Jalen Brunson. The Knicks had to initiate their offense with Brunson, not having another quality perimeter shot creator has been an issue, and it caught up with the Knicks here. On the other end, Indiana has targeted Brunson in pick-and-rolls and on switches relentlessly all series, but they were especially focused in this game and it spiraled into that second-quarter run where Indiana stretched its lead out to 20.Indiana shot 20% from 3 as a team (5-of-25) and got 20 points from Tyrese Haliburton and 19 from Myles Turner. That said, the Pacers struggled to create good looks when it mattered against a desperate Knicks team, “100 points isn’t us,” Haliburton said. — NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2025
Indiana dominated most of the rest of the first half.KAT DOMINATES THE 4Q OF GAME 3!
This is why the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Knicks look to tie up the East Finals on Tuesday at 8:00pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/RicAkcZ6hZTowns finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds, saving the Knicks’ season. Brunson finished with 23 points and despite a rough night came up clutch when it mattered.🗽 20 PTS
🗽 8 REB
🗽 6-9 FGM
🗽 3-4 3PM
🗽 5-6 FTM— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2025
“You’ve gotta focus on the result because it’s 2-1,” Haliburton said. “That was in a game we feel like we were in a position to win.”
Then Hart was subbed in for Towns, the Pacers hit back-to-back 3-pointers to retake the lead, and it was on.The Pacers need to find their offense on Tuesday to regain control of the series.The other thing Tibodeau did was finally trust his bench (foul trouble for Towns and Brunson played into that). The Knicks came back with a 16-4 run into the fourth quarter sparked by bench players — Miles “Duece” McBride and the previously unseen this series Delon Wright and Landry Shamet. Those guys brought the two-way play that New York had been lacking.New York came back from 20 down in the first half and double-digits to start the fourth to take Game 3 on the road, 106-100. Indiana still leads the series 2-1 but Game 4 on Tuesday night suddenly becomes a swing game in the Eastern Conference Finals.Game 3 was a game where Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau tried everything.Combine Towns’ play with New York’s defensive performance of these playoffs — their scrambling and ability to peel-switch off Haliburton to stay in front of him but cover pick-and-pop shooters has improved dramatically — and they got that chance to win. And took advantage of it.🔥 6 players with at least 1 steal
🔥 2 players with double-digit rebounds
🔥 OG Anunoby with 3 blocks“They put me in great spots to succeed, and I just wanted to capitalize on the opportunity,” said Towns, who was in foul trouble all night long and started the game 2-of-7 shooting. “All of us are just trying to do whatever it takes to win, get ourselves back in the game. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to where at the end of the game we found ourselves with a chance of winning.”With New York’s season hanging by a thread — down 10 on the road entering the fourth quarter in a series it already trailed 0-2 — Towns took over and scored 20 the rest of the way.
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