The Knicks refused to go gentle into that goodnight in Madison Square Garden. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith hit shots early and although neither ended with a good field goal percentage, they provided the early shot making the Knicks needed to succeed. The Knicks defensive intensity was at a fever pitch, a far cry from their pitiful Game 4 display.
Chris Copeland got some more playing time and scored 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting in 19 minutes. But the Knicks defense was the story. The Pacers shot 36% and committed 19 turnovers. The absence of George Hill, who was out with a concussion suffered in Game 4, hurt the Pacers offensive flow.
Rebounding was also a story as the Knicks were competitive on the glass with Indiana. The Pacers seemed like they grabbed a good bit more offensive rebounds than the Knicks, but the numbers suggest otherwise. The Pacers only took down two more.
After a hot start, the Knicks held a modest lead throughout much of the game. But it felt like they were in control the entire time, even on the rare occasions when Indiana took the lead. The Knicks won 85-75 to pull to close Indiana's series lead to 3-2 as the two teams head back to Indiana for Game 6.
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