The Indiana Pacers suffered a tough loss to the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series, falling 111-94. Despite the setback, star guard Tyrese Haliburton remained calm and collected after the game, downplaying the significance of the loss.
"We’re a resilient group," Haliburton said. "We always want to respond when things don’t go well after a game like that. We understand what the stakes are. … We’re fine. There’s no need to panic or anything."
Series Overview
- The Pacers still hold a 3-2 lead in the series and will look to close out their opponents on Saturday night at Indianapolis’ City Bank Arena.
- Thursday’s loss was particularly tough for Indiana as they never led in Game 5 and were held under one hundred points for only the fifty-first time this postseason.
- The team’s starting five combined for just 37 points, which is the second fewest for a team in a game this postseason.
Player Performances
- Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench.
- Pascal Siakam led the starters with 15 points.
- Obi Toppin added 11 points off the bench.
- Tyrese Haliburton struggled on offense, scoring 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting with 6 assists. His seven shot attempts were his fewest in-game this postseason, and he scored or assisted on only 24 percent of his team’s points according to ESPN research.
Haliburton acknowledged that he needs to improve:
"I got better and I’ll be better by Game six."
He emphasized that as a group they must be better too:
"Our pace must be better – that starts with me."
Looking Ahead
Despite Thursday’s loss, Haliburton remains optimistic about his team’s chances going forward:
"We’ve been through some tough games before. We’ve come out on top every time so far."
The Pacers will look to bounce back from their disappointing performance against New York when they take on them again at home Saturday night.
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