The Knicks have life.

They can thank Karl-Anthony Towns for that.

After suffering fourth-quarter collapses in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks reversed the script with a come-from-behind 106-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Towns’ 20 fourth-quarter points fueled the Knicks’ victory on a night they were down by 20 in the first half and by 10 going into the fourth quarter.

Jalen Brunson’s tie-breaking floater with 1:17 left in regulation gave the Knicks a 100-98 lead and held up as the game-winner.

The Knicks now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“Anytime you can win, it’s a good feeling,” Towns said during a postgame interview on TNT. “So down 2-0, finding a way to win tonight should raise our confidence, raise the morale of the team.”

The Knicks led 89-88 when Brunson’s fifth foul forced him to the bench with 7:03 left in regulation. He did not return until there was 1:37 left in the fourth.

But Towns’ shot-making — and a tightened-up defense — kept the Knicks afloat.

Towns shot 6-of-9 from the field in the fourth after going just 2-of-8 for four points in the first three quarters. He finished with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

“Shoutout to the Dominicans, man, on Dominican Mother’s Day,” said Towns, who lost his mother to complications from COVID-19 in 2020.

It was a night of redemption for the All-Star, who spent nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter on the bench in Game 2. He was a -20 that night and struggled defensively.

“When I got a chance tonight to do what I do in the fourth, I made sure I was gonna seize the opportunity,” Towns said. “I just wanted to go out there and give our team a chance to win.”

It was also a night of redemption for the Knicks after they blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 1 and again faltered defensively in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

Towns, who picked up his fifth foul late in Sunday’s fourth quarter, has found success in this series when operating with Brunson on the bench, including during the Knicks’ 14-0 run in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Sunday’s rally included a dunk by Towns that put the Knicks up 86-85 with 8:02 to go, giving them their first lead since the first quarter. His free throws with 5:46 left, followed by a 3-pointer on the next possession, put the Knicks up 94-90.

A pair of free throws by Pascal Siakam tied the game 98-98 at the 1:37 mark of the fourth. But after Brunson’s go-ahead basket, the Knicks made all of their free throws down the stretch — something they failed to do in Game 1 — and escaped with a victory.

“We’re built on togetherness,” Brunson said on TNT, referring to his team’s efforts with him on the bench.

Brunson finished with 23 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

The Knicks seek to become the first team in NBA history to win a conference finals after losing the first two games at home.

Seeking a spark after those losses, Knicks head coach Thibodeau inserted center Mitchell Robinson into his Game 3 starting lineup in place of Josh Hart.

The Knicks’ starters were outscored by 29 points over the first two games, and Indiana jumped out to first-quarter leads both nights. Robinson, with his relentless rebounding and rim protection, had posted a plus/minus of +41 off the bench this postseason.

Still, it was a bold move considering the Knicks hadn’t strayed from a starting five of Brunson, Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Towns all season.

The decision paid early dividends as the Knicks avoided a third consecutive slow start.

Robinson collected a pair of offensive rebounds and turned both into put-backs in the first five minutes, helping the Knicks take an 11-6 lead. He played nearly the first 11 minutes of the quarter, giving the Knicks six points and four rebounds before taking his first breather.

The Knicks stuck with their new starting lineup until the 5:36 mark of the first quarter, when Hart checked in for Towns with a 12-10 lead.

The Pacers started 2-of-11 from the field, but it wasn’t long before Indiana’s high-powered offense found its footing.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Myles Turner and Ben Sheppard put Indiana up 16-15 for its first lead. The Pacers led 30-26 after one quarter, getting 13 points from their bench.

Towns did not score in the first quarter for the second game in a row.

Indiana kept coming in the second, scoring on six consecutive possessions in a three-minute span. T.J. McConnell gave the Pacers a boost off the bench, scoring or assisting on four baskets as Indy went up 42-32.

In another swing, Indiana challenged a shooting foul called against Tyrese Haliburton on a Towns dunk. The call was overturned, and Towns was charged with the foul — his third. He checked out with 6:10 before halftime and spent the rest of the quarter on the bench.

It quickly unraveled for the Knicks shortly thereafter.

Haliburton stripped the ball from Brunson and found Obi Toppin for an alley-oop dunk in transition, putting the Pacers up by 15 points.

On the next possession, Haliburton pulled up and drilled a 3-pointer.

Haliburton then jumped an errant pass from Hart and turned it into another fastbreak dunk — capping a 13-0 run that put the Pacers up 55-35 with 3:20 before halftime.

Brunson picked up his fourth foul with 1:36 left in the first half.

Indiana led 58-45 at halftime after a second quarter in which it shot 10-of-16 from the field, forced six turnovers, scored 11 fast-break points and outscored the Knicks, 28-19.

The Pacers took a 16-point lead with 8:02 left in the third quarter, and they led 78-63 with under three minutes to go in the period. But Miles McBride scored seven quick points, cutting the Knicks’ deficit to 80-70 entering the fourth.

The Knicks then outscored Indiana 36-20 in fourth, going 9-of-19 from the field while limiting the Pacers to 5-of-19 shooting.

The Knicks overcame 20-point deficits in Games 1 and 2 of their second-round series against the Boston Celtics, with both instances coming on the road.

Sunday’s comeback was even more crucial, considering an NBA team has never come back from an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

The Knicks will look to even the series in Game 4 in Indiana on Tuesday night.

Originally Published: May 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM EDT