The New York Knicks needed a big game on Thursday night from star Carmelo Anthony and they got it along with the victory to keep themselves alive at 3-2 in the series with Game 6 ready to go on Saturday.
The team was reeling after their Game 4 loss and with a home game at MSG the Knicks had no excuses and they got the job done with an 85-75 victory in front of the home fans to keep the Pacers on their heels as the series shifts back to Indiana. The team got 28 points from Carmelo Anthony and eight rebounds from Tyson Chandler, while Raymond Felton was tops in assists with four as the Pacers couldn't keep up with Roy Hibbert in foul trouble.
The Knicks were 31-10 at home during the season and the home court advantage in the series paid off on Thursday night after they outscored the Pacers in every quarter but the last one when each had 18 points and Paul George led the way with 23 for Indiana, while David West had 10 rebounds and George also added six assists. The Knicks were expected to make it to the conference finals by many, but their old age has started to catch up with them and now they are in a position where they have to win three straight games to advance.
In the last game, the 93-82 loss to the Pacers, Anthony led the way with 24 points and Chandler had 10 rebounds, but the team could not get the win and were put on the brink down 3-1. Now the team has some momentum and can easily win two games in a row to win the series.
The Spurs are into the conference finals for like the hundredth time in the past decade after winning over the Warriors 94-82 to take the series and now Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will get the chance to get to another championship. The team had Duncan tops in scoring with 19 points, Kawai Leonard had 10 rebounds and Manu Ginobili finished with 11 assists and he is one of the heroes of the series after hitting his huge Game 1 shot in double overtime after Stephen Curry scored 44 points.
Curry was great in the series and he scored 22 points in the finale, but he played with an injured ankle and the Spurts proved to be too much. Curry added six assists and in the previous game he led the way with eight, while Harrison Barnes scored 25 points and added seven rebounds in that game. Barnes left last night's game with an injury and he proved that the Warriors have some excellent young talent. The Heat, Spurs and Grizz are through to the conference finals now.