NEW YORK – From Jalen Brunson’s sizzling start to the “Knicks in 7! Knicks in 7!” chants at the finish, this was New York’s night.

The New York Knicks found a lead that was safe against the Indiana Pacers.

In a 2025 Eastern Conference finals that was seen by both teams, choked away big leads, the Knicks found a Game 5 advantage and kept it against their fellow comeback artists in a 111-94 win. Game 6 is scheduled for Saturday in Indiana (8 p.m. ET, TNT).

It was Indiana’s first loss in a Game 5 all playoffs after closing out the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers in the same situation.

The Knicks won on their home floor for the first time in the series and prevented the Pacers from earning the second NBA Finals trip in franchise history. Indiana will try again Saturday night at home.

“It’s a testament to our team answering the call,” Towns said.

The mechanics of the blowout came down to two major factors: Jalen Brunson and a miserable night on offense for the Pacers. The Knicks star posted 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting with five rebounds and five assists, continuing a stellar series in which he was averaging 33.3 points per game entering Thursday.

Brunson scored 32 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds despite a bruised left knee and the Knicks stayed alive in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Indiana Pacers 111-94 on Thursday in Game 5. Brunson joined LeBron James, Michael Jordan and potential NBA Finals opponent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the only players to post at least 10 games of 30 points and five assists in a single postseason.

Brunson’s point guard counterpart, Tyrese Haliburton, was a bit quieter. He posted eight points on 2-of-7 shooting with six assists and two rebounds. As a team, the Pacers shot 40.5% with 20 turnovers.

The Knicks went wire-to-wire, with some scares. None of that is to say the Pacers were dead all night, though. The Knicks never trailed and were up by as many as 22 points late in the third quarter, but Indiana cut it to 12 early in the fourth quarter. Any fan in Madison Square Garden who says they weren’t worried at that point is lying.

It might be hyperbole to say that about a second half in which the Knicks led by double digits throughout, but that’s the reputation the Pacers have earned given what they’ve done in all three of their series this postseason.

Two nights after giving up 43 points in the first quarter, the Knicks held the Pacers to just 45 in the first half and limited Tyrese Haliburton, who had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds Tuesday, to just eight points and six assists.

Brunson, outplayed by his point guard counterpart Tuesday, rebounded with his franchise-record 21st postseason game of 30 or more points with the Knicks.

“Our backs were against the wall. So, I mean, we’ve got to give it everything we got,” Brunson said.

Tom Thibodeau was certainly concerned, as that was when the Knicks head coach reinserted his starters. That group held on until Indiana finally waved the white flag with two minutes remaining. “Knicks in seven” chants rang out soon after.

“We obviously didn’t play with the level of force that we needed to,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We lost the rebound battle. We lost the turnover battle. We didn’t shoot well. They had a lot to do with it. So, give them a lot of credit and we’re going to have to play better.”

Now comes the harder part for New York. The Knicks staved off elimination at home with a loud crowd behind them, but Game 6 will feature a Gainbridge Fieldhouse audience fully aware of how close its team is to its first Finals since 2000.

It will be loud, and it won’t even be the only game the Knicks need to win. But for now, they can say they definitely looked like the better team on Thursday.

Maybe it can still be the Knicks’ series.

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