There’s no place like home. After two losses in Indiana, the New York Knicks return to Madison Square Garden tonight to face the Pacers in Game Five of the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. With so many key players injured, the Knicks needed an X-factor to buoy them tonight. They found it in the Madison Square Garden crowd.
Coach Tom Thibodeau’s smaller, shooting-focused lineup initially stumbled but grabbed rebounds to grab a 38-32 lead by the end of the first quarter. In Q2, the Knicks hit the gas with dominant rebounding and scoring brilliance by Jalen Brunson, riding a 69-54 lead into halftime.