Another night, another tough loss for the Knicks. After their miraculous 20-point comeback on Sunday to bring the East Finals series to 2-1, New York fans expected their team to come out with the same sense of urgency for tonight’s Game 4. But this time, the Pacers were ready for the challenge. Tyrese Haliburton and Co. took an early lead by scoring 43 points in the opening quarter and never lost control. As a result, the Knicks lost. But what hurt them even more was Karl-Anthony Towns’ unfortunate late-game injury scare.

It happened in the closing minutes of the final quarter. As the Knicks trailed by seven points with over two minutes left, they were trying hard to find a way to muscle a comeback. But tragedy struck when Aaron Nesmith collided with a contesting KAT during an aggressive drive to the basket. Turns out, Towns’ left knee took the brunt of the impact, as he immediately fell to the floor, favoring the injured limb.

Surprisingly, KAT stayed on the floor to finish the game. But it was clear that his knee was bothering him, as he limped while grimacing in pain. He was hurt. After the game, concerns grew further when Tom Thibodeau was not fully certain about Towns’ status heading into Thursday’s Game 5. “He was able to go back in, so that’s a good sign. We’ll see where he is after he gets evaluated.”

Yes, the Center’s knee will be further evaluated to determine the severity of his injury as the Knicks head back to New York.

Well, the way he finished the game did not look very promising. While Karl-Anthony Towns had fourteen points in the first half, he ended the night with only 24. If he is unable to play on Thursday because of the knee injury, it will make it even harder for the Knicks to save their season. Especially if they continue making the glaring mistakes they did tonight.

Tom Thibodeau reveals key reason behind Knicks’ defensive struggles in Game 4 vs Pacers

On Sunday, the Knicks did a solid job of slowing down the Indiana team’s faced paced offense. The usually high scoring squad was limited to just 100 points, their lowest total of this series. Credit to Jalen Brunson and Co.’s impressive defense. Unfortunately, Thibodeau’s squad was unable to bring that same energy tonight. They gave up 43 points in the opening quarter and it all went downhill from there.

Following the crushing loss, Thibodeau highlighted what went wrong in his team’s execution: “We knew it was gonna be a fast game. The priority was defensive transition. But we hurt ourselves with our turnovers, putting them in the open floor.” Yes, the Knicks made the mistake of allowing Tyrese Haliburton and Co. to play to their strength – pace.

All night, the Knicks struggled to take care of the ball, committing seventeen turnovers. It allowed the Pacers to score several points in transition and maintain their lead. Meanwhile, Haliburton did an incredible job as a floor general, becoming the first player in playoffs history to have a 30/10/15 game with zero turnovers.

If the Knicks wish to extend this series, not only will they need Karl-Anthony Towns at full strength on Thursday, but they will also have to avoid the mistakes Coach Thibs pointed out. Do you think they can do it and force Game 6?