
NEW YORK — The Indiana Pacers performed their worst offensive sport of the postseason in Thursday evening's 111-94 loss to the New York Knicks, however regardless of lacking an opportunity to shut out the sequence, star guard Tyrese Haliburton emphasised there was "no have to panic."
"We're a resilient group," Haliburton mentioned after the sport. "We all the time wish to reply when issues don't go nicely after a sport like that. We perceive what the stakes are. … We're wonderful. There's no have to panic or something."
The Pacers nonetheless lead the sequence 3-2, with Recreation 6 on Saturday evening in Indianapolis.
Indiana by no means led in Recreation 5 as New York pulled off a wire-to-wire victory with its season on the road. In the meantime, the Pacers' offense by no means obtained began. Their beginning 5 mixed for simply 37 factors, the second fewest for a staff in a sport this postseason, and as a staff the Pacers had 20 turnovers, their most in a sport throughout these playoffs.
Thursday's loss additionally marked the primary time this postseason that the Pacers have been held beneath 100 factors.
"To start out the sport, we simply didn't have the precise degree of power, the precise degree of angle mandatory on this surroundings," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle mentioned. "It was a nasty begin; we by no means had a lead within the sport. There have been a large number of issues that have been going flawed. There have been stretches within the sport the place we obtained a bit little bit of traction, however by no means sufficient."
Bennedict Mathurin scored a team-high 23 factors off the bench, and Pascal Siakam led the starters in scoring with 15. HoweverObi Toppin, who had11 factors off the bench, was the one otherPacers participant in double figures.
After placing up a historic stat line in Recreation 4, Haliburton struggled to remain concerned on offense Thursday evening, scoring eight factors on 2-of-7 capturing with six assists. His seven shot makes an attempt have been his fewest in any sport this postseason, and he scored or assisted on 24% (23 of 94) of the Pacers' factors, in keeping with ESPN Analysis. In Video games 1 by way of 4, Haliburton scored or assisted on 41% of his staff's factors.
"I obtained to be higher, and I'll be higher in Recreation 6," Haliburton mentioned. "We obtained to be higher as a bunch. Our tempo needs to be higher. That begins with me. I obtained to be higher there. As a bunch we've proven that we are able to have some success this playoffs. This was a tough displaying for us tonight. So we'll watch the movie, see the place we are able to get higher and be nice."
The Pacers acknowledged the Knicks established themselves because the extra aggressive staff in Recreation 5, however they’ve prided themselves on responding after losses this postseason. Ahead Aaron Nesmith didn’t mince wordswhen requested how the Pacers will get their depth again for Recreation 6.
"You get punched within the face like this," he mentioned. "Typically you bought to lose to get higher. That's what occurred in the present day."
Realizing they have been returning dwelling with a 3-2 sequence lead was an enormous purpose the Pacers weren’t discouraged regardless of Thursday's loss. Indiana has not dropped back-to-back video games since March, and Siakam mentioned he was wanting ahead to an opportunity to bounce again at dwelling.
"You're going to have dangerous video games," Siakam mentioned. "That is the NBA, and there's going to be instances the place a staff goes to play onerous. Actually, they're going to beat you.
"It’s simply all about us, man. It's all the time been us in opposition to the world, and I don't anticipate it to alter. … We’re 3-2 in a sequence and we now have a chance to return dwelling and present what we're fabricated from."br/]