A lot of us underestimated the impact of home court advantage in Game 5 as the New York Knicks rolled to a convincing 30-point victory to take a 3-2 lead vs Indiana. Now, the Pacers have to respond, just like the Minnesota Timberwolves did last night. The Knicks got 44 points from Jalen Brunson in the win, but more importantly role players like Alec Burks and Miles McBride stepped up with 18 and 17. Another unsung hero in Game 5 was Isaiah Hartenstein who dominated the boards, collecting 17 of them total, including 12 on the offensive end. Can the Knicks pull off something similar tonight in Indianapolis? The last time they played there they got beat by 32 points. They are yet to record a win at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 3 attempts this year.
Indiana’s performance on the glass was a disaster in Game 5 and that’s what cost them the game. The rebounding disparity was 53-29 in favor of New York, allowing them to attempt 29 more shots from the field. Tyrese Haliburton was once again passive, attempting only 9 shots and dishing 5 assists, even if Indy is able to force a Game 7 here, I wouldn’t feel too optimistic for them with Haliburton playing like that on the road. Tonight’s Game 6 is all about energy and getting off to a good start. Just like we saw Minnesota go off after falling behind 9-2 in last night’s Game 6 vs Denver, Indiana has to set the tone on both ends early if they want to get the win here. The good news is the Pacers are on a 10-game win streak in home games, plus they’ve beaten the Knicks 15 times in the last 20 meetings there.
