'They were more aggressive': Pacers falter in Game 5 with chance to close out Knicks in Eastern Conf

INDIANAPOLIS - With the chance to end the New York Knicks' season, the Indiana Pacers simply weren't good enough.




Too many turnovers. Too many second-chance points. Too many missed shots. It all resulted in a 111-94 loss at Madison Square Garden.




The Pacers' worst tendencies came to the forefront Thursday night.




"We lost the rebound battle, we lost the turnover battle. We didn't shoot well," said coach Rick Carlisle. "They had a lot to do with it, so give them credit. We're gonna to have to play much better."




Pascal Siakam was the only starter who scored in double figures. The other four-Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner and Andrew Nembhard-combined for just 22 points. Siakam was the only starter to avoid a plus/minus that was sub-20 points, and even he was -1.




"There were more aggressive from the jump. They brought the fight to us, and I didn't think we brought enough [in response]," Siakam said.




Nesmith, playing on the tender ankle he hurt in Game 3, logged just 16 minutes.




Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 23 points off the bench in 25 minutes on the floor. He finished 6-10 from the field (2-4 from three-point range) and hit all nine of his free throws. He added nine rebounds.

Indiana's struggles

As a team, the Pacers shot 40.5%, including 33% from the three-point line. They surrendered 12 offensive rebounds and handed the Knicks 20 points off 20 turnovers. They allowed New York to bully them on the boards and outscore them 60-34 in the paint.




At one point, the Knicks led by 22 points. When the Pacers did manage to cut into the lead, New York responded with a run.




A typical sequence played out in the third quarter: the Pacers surged to a 12-2 run that cut the Knicks' lead from 72-52 to 74-64 with 4:09 left in the third.




Had the Pacers kept that momentum going into the fourth, then perhaps they would've chipped away and made a game of it. Instead, the Knicks rattled off a 12-0 run of their own to build their lead to 22. New York kept Indiana at arm's length the rest of the way.




"We're fine. We're fine. There's no need to panic or anything. It's a tough loss. We got it to ten a couple times, we cut it down, but we weren't able to get over that hump to get enough stops to get back in the game," Haliburton said.

Poor start dooms Pacers

From the jump, the Pacers looked half a step slow and the offense couldn't find any rhythm or flow. New York star Jalen Brunson had it going early, scoring three straight buckets and hitting Mitchell Robinson on an alley oop to prime the Knicks' offense.




Brunson finished with 32 points on an efficient 12-18 shooting night. Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns was the game's second-leading scorer with 24 points.




In Carlisle's view, it all came down to the game's first few minutes.




"To start the game, we didn't have the right level of force, the right level of attitude necessary in this environment," Carlisle said. "It was a bad start and we never had a lead in the game. There were a multitude of things that were going wrong."




Siakam agreed with that assessment.




"There were more aggressive from the jump. They brought the fight to us, and I didn't think we brought enough [in response]," he said. "We just didn't bring the fight to them like they brought to us."




The little things the Pacers have done well in their wins-the hustle plays, the deflected balls-simply didn't materialize in Game 5. The Knicks dictated every facet of the game.




"They played harder than us. Loose balls, rebounds, we've got to be able to win that battle," Siakam said.




Haliburton was brilliant in Game 4 with a triple-double. In Game 5, he finished with just 8 points, 6 assists, a pair of rebounds and a pair of steals. His lack of production was indicative of the Knicks' defensive intensity and the Pacers' struggles as a whole.




"We weren't great as a group. We lost the margin battle today. They did a better job in the margins. We turned the ball over too much, didn't rebound to our ability like we have shown this series," Haliburton said. "When you do those two things against these guys in a game that comes down to so many possessions, it's tough. We've gotta be better as a group. Our pace has to be better, and that starts with me."




"We weren't the Pacers. We didn't play with force. We weren't relentless," Mathurin added. "That's the one thing I think we were missing tonight. I think we've got to step it up for next game."




"I think they might have changed up their lineup a little bit. That might've changed the dynamic," Nembhard said. "I think they came out with more force, more energy, more physicality tonight. We didn't match it."

Game 6 coming up next

The Pacers now turn their attention to Game 6 at home, another chance to close out the Knicks and stave off a potential Game 7 in New York. They have responded well from losses this season and especially in the playoffs. Each time they've lost a game this postseason, they've responded with a win.




"We've been a resilient team all year. We've shown we can fight, we can bounce back. Again, we've been playing against a really good team. We beat them at home, they came back on the home floor and executed better than us," Siakam said.




"Our strength has been being together, fighting hard together, staying together no matter what. Nobody had us being here right now," the veteran forward continued. "We're up 3-2 in the conference finals. It's amazing and I'm so proud of my team and how hard we've been playing."




"Kudos to them," Haliburton said. "They played better than us today, and we've got to be prepared for Game 6."




The Pacers host the Knicks Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tip is set for 8 p.m.



via: https://fox59.com/sports/pacers/they-were-more-aggressive-pacers-falter-in-game-5-with-chance-to-close-out-knicks-in-eastern-conference-finals/