Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Walker was on crutches after the game. The ankle badly turned while he was defending Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks during the opening possession of the fourth quarter.

"He's young, so that's good," Carlisle said after his team's series-clinching 125-108 victory. "I did not see a replay, so I don't know how much, how far it turned over, how much weight he had on it. But when a guy goes down and stays down like that, you're always holding your breath."

Indiana faces the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night in Oklahoma City in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Walker had two points and one rebound in seven minutes before exiting. He remained on the floor as play continued until it was stopped after New York scored another basket. He was eventually helped off the floor by two trainers.

Walker, 21, averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 75 regular-season games (five starts) this season. He was a first-round pick (No. 8 overall) in the 2023 draft.

Also, backup center Tony Bradley (hip), who was injured in Game 5, didn't see any action.

Siakam was voted the Eastern Conference finals MVP. Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points, 13 assists and three steals for fourth-seeded Indiana. Obi Toppin added 18 points off the bench and Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and six steals for the Pacers.

Indiana will face the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday at Oklahoma City,

OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 14 rebounds for third-seeded New York. Jalen Brunson had 19 points and seven assists and Mikal Bridges had 15 points for the Knicks.

Indiana had a 25-10 edge on fastbreak points to finish the series with a dominating 106-48 in that category.

The Pacers shot 54.1 percent from the field, including a solid 17 of 33 from 3-point range (51.5 percent). Myles Turner and reserve Thomas Bryant had 11 points apiece and Aaron Nesmith added 10 for the Pacers.

New York made 47.7 percent of its shots and was 9 of 32 (28.1 percent) from behind the arc. Landry Shamet had 12 points on four treys off the bench.

New York trailed by 15 entering the final quarter but a basket by Towns and two in a row by Anunoby pulled the Knicks within 92-83 with 10:15 remaining.

Haliburton then took over as he scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the final stanza.

The Pacers pushed the lead back to 14 on a basket by Nembhard with 8:26 left.

Later, a basket by Haliburton and a 3-pointer by Nembhard made it 113-94 with 4:22 left.

Siakam later made two free throws to make it 120-99 with 1:52 left as New York waved the white flag.

Indiana led by four at the break but started the third quarter with 3-pointers by Siakam and Nesmith and a three-point play by Siakam to take a 67-54 lead.

The Knicks were within 69-61 after Brunson's basket with 8:53 left in the period before Bryant (two) and Nembhard (one) combined for three treys in 86 seconds as the Pacers grabbed a 78-63 advantage with 6:44 remaining in the quarter.

Haliburton later ended the third with a dunk as the Pacers had a 34-23 edge over the 12 minutes to expand their lead to 92-77.

Siakam scored 16 first-half points to help the Pacers hold a 58-54 lead at the break. Anunoby scored 14 in the half for New York.

Suddenly, the Indiana Pacers are the team facing more pressure entering the pivotal Game 6 on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Indiana holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. However, clinching a spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 will be a much easier endeavor in front of the home fans. Game 7, if needed, would be in New York.

"We understand what the stakes are," Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. "We're fine. There's no need to panic or anything."

The third-seeded Knicks were clearly the better team in Thursday's 111-94 home victory. New York never trailed, shut down Haliburton, dominated the interior and forced 20 turnovers to deliver a convincing victory.

Jalen Brunson had 32 points, five rebounds and five assists and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 13 rebounds. Towns thrived while playing with an ailing left knee.

"This team is special," Towns said. "In this series, we haven't been able to close out games we wanted to. We've had moments of brilliance and (Thursday) we showed the world how special we are."

New York's task of evening the series will be much easier if it can once again slow Haliburton, the leader of the fourth-seeded Pacers.

Haliburton delivered a performance for the ages in Game 4 when he had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover, the first time a player achieved a 30-15-10-0 stat line in NBA postseason history. He also made five 3-pointers and had four steals in the 130-121 home triumph.

But Game 5 was a totally different experience for Haliburton. New York hounded him from the outset and mixed its defenders to keep the Indiana star off-balance. Haliburton had just eight points, six assists and two rebounds. He took just seven shots, sinking two.

"As a team, we need to have a level of balance," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "I'll look at it. There are more things I need to do to help him. I will take responsibility for that and we'll see where we can improve."

New York's Mikal Bridges fueled the defensive charge but had plenty of help.

"Just starting with Mikal, wanting to pick up full court, make anything that (Haliburton) was doing hard," Knicks backup guard Miles McBride said. "Whether it was denying him, trying to stay into his body or guys being up, just trying to make it hard."

Meanwhile, the Knicks outscored Indiana 60-34 in the paint in Game 5 as Towns repeatedly drove for baskets. Perhaps more startling was that Indiana's edge in fastbreak points was limited to 16-15; over the first four games, the Pacers held a whopping 65-23 advantage.

"I'm just happy with the way we responded, honestly," Brunson said. "We came out and had some energy to the way we played. I'm very proud of what we did, and we have to try to replicate it."

Brunson made 12 of 18 shots while notching his fourth 30-point outing of the series. He is averaging 33 points in the series. Towns averages 25.4 points and 11.8 rebounds.

For Indiana, Haliburton averages 21 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Pascal Siakam is also faring well with a 23.6-point average.

Siakam wants to see the Pacers raise their level of play on Saturday.

"They played harder than us," Siakam said of Game 5. "It's OK. We played hard, but they played harder."

In the suit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the woman -- identified as Jane Doe -- alleges Williamson sexually assaulted her twice in 2020.

The plaintiff, who claims to be the NBA forward's ex-girlfriend, alleges there was a pattern of "abusive, controlling and threatening behavior" toward her that occurred in California, Louisiana and other states.

Williamson, 24, also is accused of threatening to have his security personnel shoot Doe in the head and have her parents killed, according to the report.

"Our client is very adamant about this -- it's not her desire or our desire to litigate this case in the press," Doe's attorney, Sam Taylor with the Lanier Law Firm, told the Post on Friday. "It's a very serious case, as reflected in the allegations. Our client looks forward to her day in court where she can go and explain to a jury what happened to her, the things she endured for this defendant and getting justice."

Williamson's representatives did not immediately respond to the newspaper's request for comment.

As of Friday afternoon, the Pelicans had not commented publicly on the allegations.

Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke, is a two-time All-Star with career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 games (all starts) with the Pelicans.

Karl-Anthony Towns played through a left knee injury to record 24 points and 13 rebounds as the third-seeded Knicks led wire to wire while cutting their deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Bennedict Mathurin registered 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the fourth-seeded Pacers. Pascal Siakam had 15 points, and reserve Obi Toppin added 11.

Game 6 is Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton was largely silent, finishing with eight points, on 2-of-7 shooting, and six assists. Two nights earlier, he had 30 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds and zero turnovers in a stellar Game 4 effort.

The Knicks shot 49.4 percent from the field in Game 5, including 8 of 29 (27.6 percent) from 3-point range. Josh Hart had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Mikal Bridges also scored 12 points, and OG Anunoby had 11 points.

Indiana connected on 40.5 percent of its shots and was 10 of 30 from behind the arc while committing 19 turnovers.

The Knicks led by 11 at halftime but pushed the edge to 72-52 on two free throws by Anunoby with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter.

Indiana displayed life with a 12-2 run to move within 74-64 on two foul shots by Mathurin with 4:09 left in the period.

Brunson had six points, including a four-point play, as New York answered with 12 straight points. Miles "Deuce" McBride hit a jumper to cap it and make it 86-64 with 2:12 remaining.

The Pacers responded with a 9-2 burst before Bridges sank a 12-footer with 1.8 seconds left to give the Knicks a 90-73 advantage entering the final stanza.

New York led by 20 in the fourth before Indiana scored nine of the next 10 points to creep within 96-84 with 8:15 remaining. However, Hart answered with consecutive baskets and Bridges hit a jumper to make it an 18-point margin with 5:41 remaining.

Towns' driving basket made it 106-90 with 2:44 left, and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle waved the white flag by removing Haliburton, Mathurin and Siakam from the contest.

Towns had 17 points and 10 assists in the first half as New York led 56-45 at the break. Siakam had nine in the half for the Pacers.

Indiana trailed by two early in the second quarter before New York rattled off 14 of the next 16 points to take a 48-34 with 5:07 left in the half. The 14-point edge was the Knicks' largest before intermission.

Podziemski, 22, underwent a debridement procedure on his left (shooting) wrist on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The Warriors said he is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the start of training camp this fall.

Podziemski averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 64 games (33 starts) in 2024-25.

A first-round pick (19th overall) in 2023, he made the All-Rookie Team in 2023-24 with 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Gilgeous-Alexander added eight assists and seven rebounds as Oklahoma City closed out the best-of-seven series.

The Thunder are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time in franchise history. The first three appearances came when the club was based in Seattle.

Oklahoma City will host Game 1 of the Finals against either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks on June 5.

The Wednesday outcome was evident early, as the Thunder buried the Timberwolves under the weight of a stifling defense and playmaking by Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Oklahoma City led by 17 after the first quarter and 33 at halftime to put the game away quickly.

The Timberwolves season saw their season end in the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year.

Gilgeous-Alexander dished out five of his assists in the opening quarter as he again showed why he was the selected the NBA's Most Valuable Player.

After the Timberwolves scored the game's first hoop, Gilgeous-Alexander had a hand in all five Oklahoma City baskets during an 11-0 run that started the Thunder's march toward the blowout.

In that stretch, Gilgeous-Alexander had four assists -- three on Holmgren buckets -- and hit a finger roll to start the separation.

On Monday, the Timberwolves started Game 4 red hot from the field but ultimately fell 128-126.

On Wednesday, Minnesota struggled on offense from the start, going just 1 for 11 from the field over the first five minutes.

Gilgeous-Alexander outscored Minnesota in the first quarter 12-9.

The Thunder finished the first quarter on a 13-2 run, highlighted by another Gilgeous-Alexander assist -- this one finding Cason Wallace for a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the exclamation point on a dominant first quarter. The score was 26-9.

It didn't get much better in the second as Oklahoma City stretched its lead.

Minnesota had more turnovers in the first half (14) than it did field goals (12). The Timberwolves finished with 21 turnovers.

Holmgren amassed 22 points and seven rebounds while Williams had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 24 points while Anthony Edwards scored 19 on 7-of-18 shooting.

After a historic individual performance in Game 4, Haliburton is focused on ending the Eastern Conference finals in style on Thursday night when the Pacers visit the New York Knicks at famed Madison Square Garden.

"I'm excited about it," Haliburton said. "It will be a lot of fun. It's a tough environment to play in. We've got to be ready. It's one more game."

Haliburton's outing for the ages included 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover, the first time a player achieved a 30-15-10-0 statistics line in NBA postseason history. He also made five 3-pointers and had four steals in the 130-121 home triumph.

Haliburton's propensity for running the floor is proving to be a huge advantage for fourth-seeded Indiana, which has a whopping 65-23 edge in fast-break points in the series.

"He's a great player. It's as simple as that," Knicks star Jalen Brunson said. "It's on us to try to limit him as best as we can. It's now time to get back to the drawing board and get ready for Game 5."

Third-seeded New York's lone win in the series occurred when it rallied from 20 points down to win Game 3. Karl-Anthony Towns was the captain of the comeback with 20 of his 24 points coming in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks will be watching Towns closely in Game 5 after listing him as questionable due to a left knee injury.

Towns has injured the knee in each of the past two games. In Game 4, Indiana's Aaron Nesmith collided with him late in the game and the big man was in intense pain. He exited for a short time and was hobbling at the finish.

While there is doubt regarding Towns' health, he's pretty certain when asked about the team's 3-1 series deficit.

"As a team, we all have to do better," Towns said. "It's all of us. We have to do a better job to make it difficult for each one of them to score."

The Knicks also have had a problem with turnovers leading to easy transition points; they've committed 60 turnovers in the series, an average of 15 per game.

"As a team, we just need to tighten the screws when it comes to that," Brunson said. "If they were aggressive turnovers, they'd be different. But passive turnovers is not us."

Brunson is averaging 33.3 points in the series and has topped 30 three times.

As for Indiana, Pascal Siakam has been a stellar sidekick to Haliburton with two 30-point efforts, including 30 in Tuesday's win.

But a surprise standout was Bennedict Mathurin, who scored 20 points in just 12-plus minutes off the bench Tuesday.

Mathurin averaged just 3.7 points over the first three games of the series. He said he has been keeping his eye on the task at hand, not his stats.

"I think the goal is pretty clear for us," Mathurin said. "Everyone wants to win a championship, but you have to be willing to do the right things. I think (Tuesday night) was a step in the right direction."

Nesmith sprained his right ankle in Game 3 and is once again listed as questionable. He was cleared a little more than an hour before tipoff of Game 4 and contributed 16 points.

Indiana also has won six consecutive road playoffs as they look to close out the series in the rabid New York atmosphere.

Haliburton isn't worrying about following up an epic one-of-a-kind outing with something similarly special.

"I'm just trying to play the right way," Haliburton said. "I just want to impact winning."

Towns stayed on his back in obvious pain moments after abanging knees with Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith late in the fourth quarter of a 130-121 loss at Indiana in Game 4 on Tuesday night. He briefly left the game but re-entered and was not in a talking mood postgame, leaving his status up in the air for a possible elimination game in the best-of-seven series.

As for whether Towns is confident he can take the court for Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, that question won't be answered immediately.

"I'm only thinking about this loss, I'm not thinking about that right now," Towns said postgame about his level of concern with the injury. "It's disappointing when you don't get a win. Just didn't do enough to get the job done (in Game 4)."

Towns, 29, was favoring his left knee in the first half, but head coach Tom Thibodeau took it as a "good sign" that he was able to continue Tuesday night.

With the Knicks trailing 3-1 in the series, Towns has done his part to keep New York in it.

He's averaging 25.8 points and 11.5 rebounds, including a memorable effort with 24 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3.

According to reports, the prosecuting attorney suggested to the Pierce County Superior Court judge that Kemp be sentenced to nine months in jail plus a year of community custody while paying restitution to his victims. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 22.

Kemp, 55, pleaded guilty to firing at two men in a Toyota 4Runner. Kemp testified he had his cell phone, sports memorabilia and other belongings stolen from his truck. He traced his phone to the Toyota 4Runner and accosted the driver without any resolution.

Later, per his account, Kemp traced his phone to the Tacoma Mall and saw the same Toyota 4Runner. Though Kemp said he fired in self-defense after being targeted by someone in the car, a video showed Kemp started shooting as he emerged from his vehicle.

Kemp's shots did not hit anyone, but they damaged the 4Runner and another car. Both of his alleged targets are currently in jail on unrelated charges.

Kemp was selected by the SuperSonics in the first round of the 1989 NBA draft and spent the first eight of his 14 NBA seasons in Seattle. The "Reign Man" averaged 14.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game during his career. He made six consecutive All-Star appearances from 1993-98.

Haliburton made five 3-pointers while notching his second career postseason triple-double and helping the Pacers take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 20 off the bench and Aaron Nesmith added 16 points for fourth-seeded Indiana.

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points and 12 rebounds and OG Anunoby added 22 points for the third-seeded Knicks. Mikal Bridges scored 17 points and Josh Hart added 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Game 5 is Tuesday in New York.

Nesmith was declared good to go by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle more than an hour before tipoff. He sprained his right ankle midway through the third quarter of Game 3 on Sunday.

Myles Turner added 13 points before fouling out for Indiana, which shot 51.1 percent from the field, including 13-of-32 from 3-point range. The Pacers again excelled in transition with a 22-9 edge in fast-break points and hold a 65-23 advantage in that category in the series.

The Knicks made 46.3 percent of their shots and were 12-of-28 from behind the arc. New York had a 44-33 rebounding edge.

The Pacers scored the first seven points of the second half to conclude a 13-0 burst and grab a 76-64 advantage.

The Knicks cut their deficit to 89-84 after two free throws by Brunson with 3:59 left in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by Haliburton made it 99-89 with 55.6 seconds left in the period and the Pacers took a 102-91 lead to the final stanza.

Siakam scored five straight points early in the quarter to give Indiana its largest lead at 111-96. But New York scored seven straight to move within 115-109 after a putback by Towns with 4:24 left.

But Indiana maintained its pace and the lead was 126-116 after Obi Toppin drilled a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left.

Haliburton was electric in the first half, with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds as the Pacers led 69-64 at the break. Indiana scored the final six points of the half. Brunson scored 16 in the half for New York.

Nesmith was a game-time decision after sustaining a sprained right ankle midway through the third quarter in Game 3. He later returned with seven minutes to play but was largely ineffective.

Carlisle said the decision to play Nesmith was because "he's doing better than expected."

Carlisle didn't pinpoint how many minutes Nesmith could play on Tuesday in a series the Pacers lead 2-1.

"To be determined," Carlisle said. "Not as of now, but I always watch everybody's minutes. It'll be something that in real time, we'll have to gauge."

Nesmith was a star in Game 1 when he was a career-best 8 of 9 from 3-point range and scored 30 points. But he struggled the past two games while averaging 10 points.

Nesmith, 25, is averaging 15.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 13 postseason games.

But the Oklahoma City Thunder star says the lessons of Game 3 will help the Thunder when they try to put the Minnesota Timberwolves away at home Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

"It's tough," Gilgeous-Alexander said of trying not to look at what could lie ahead if Oklahoma City can win. "I would be lying if I said it wasn't. You know how close you are, but yet it's still so far away. To beat a team like this, it takes a lot of hard minutes doing the right thing a lot of the time."

Up 3-1 in the series, the Thunder are a win away from their first NBA Finals berth since 2012.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said he's confident in his team's ability to focus on the task at hand.

"It's hard to stay present," Daigneault said. "It's easy to slip into the past or slip into the future, but we've tried to do a good job of grounding into the moment and just handling the next challenge in front of us, the next game in front of us."

After a 42-point road defeat Saturday, the Thunder came back to win Game 4 128-126 in Minneapolis to put the Timberwolves on the brink of elimination.

Oklahoma City's big three -- Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren -- combined for 95 points in that victory.

Gilgeous-Alexander said the trio hasn't come close to reaching its ceiling.

"We still have so much room to grow, which is the scary part," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

The Timberwolves are facing elimination for the first time this postseason after winning each of their first two playoff series in five games.

If Minnesota is to stay alive, it figures to need more production out of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle.

The duo was a combined 6 of 20 for 21 points in the Game 4 loss after going 21-for-32 for 54 points in Game 3.

"We've faced this and gone through these periods before," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of the duo needing to do more. "We know we've got to stretch the floor, create more depth in transition, get those guys to the bottom of the floor for a variety of reasons. Should be a pretty easy adjustment, you've just got to put the effort in. ...

"They did a good job of getting their three guys to get a big game for them. We need to do a better job of getting more out of our first unit."

Finch was happy with Edward's aggressiveness, especially in Monday's second half.

"We got downhill, he got to the paint, he created a lot of good shots for his teammates," Finch said. "I think there's some things that maybe he can have in transition that we didn't necessarily find for him. ... Moving him off ball, some more off-ball stuff, things that we've done earlier in the series that last night we didn't really get to."

Wembanyama missed the last two months of this season due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Thrombosis occurs when blood turns into clumps inside a blood vessel, creating a blood clot.

While that sounds scary, ESPN reported that the 21-year-old Frenchman is expected to be a full-go heading into next season.

Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and an NBA-leading 3.8 blocked shots in 46 starts this season.

Named the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year last season in 2023-24, the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama competed in his first All-Star Game in 2024-25.

The Spurs selected Wembanyama first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. In parts of two seasons, he is averaging 22.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.7 blocks in 117 games (all starts). He also has made 270 3-pointers.

"I'm grateful for everyone's support all year and I can't wait to be back out there at 100% soon," the veteran said in a statement posted to X by The Athletic. "The comeback is already in motion."

Westbrook, 36, said the injury occurred during the 2024-25 season. His fingers were heavily taped during Denver's playoff run, which ended on May 18 with a six-game series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

A nine-time All-Star and the 2016-17 league MVP, Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 75 games (36 starts) in his first season with the Nuggets.

The two-time NBA scoring champion boasts career averages of 21.2 points, 8.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds in 1,237 games (1,075 starts) with the Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets.

Westbrook has a player option for 2025-26 that carries a $3.47 million cap hit. He is the all-time leader in triple-doubles (203) and ranks eighth in NBA history in assists (9,925) and 23rd in points (26,205) but is still seeking his first championship.

Jalen Williams added 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting for Oklahoma City, which seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Chet Holmgren finished with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.

Gilgeous-Alexander sank 5 of 6 free-throw attempts in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota. Jaden McDaniels contributed 22 points, and Donte DiVincenzo finished with 21 points off the bench.

The series will shift back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Both teams battled in the final minutes as the Thunder staved off the Timberwolves' comeback attempt.

Gilgeous-Alexander displayed his athleticism as he found Williams for a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 116-109 with 3:34 remaining. Gilgeous-Alexander was falling down on the play, and he slipped a pass between McDaniels' legs to the open Williams.

The lead went back to seven when Williams hit another 3-pointer to put the Thunder on top 123-116 with 1:21 to go.

The Timberwolves clawed back thanks to McDaniels, who made a driving layup with 1:10 left and followed up with a 3-pointer with 23.1 seconds remaining. The latter hoop sliced the Thunder's lead to 123-121.

Both teams exchanged free throws in the final seconds.

The Thunder led 128-125 when Anthony Edwards stepped to the free-throw line with 3.5 seconds left. Edwards made the first attempt and missed the second attempt on purpose, but Gilgeous-Alexander chased down the rebound and fired a long pass out of bounds to stop the clock with 0.3 seconds to go.

Williams intercepted Julius Randle's inbounds pass as time expired.

Oklahoma City led 90-85 at the end of the third quarter.

The Timberwolves went on an 8-0 run to cut their deficit to 77-76 with five minutes remaining in the third. DiVincenzo buried a 3-pointer from the left corner to punctuate the run.

The Thunder responded on the next possession when Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a jump shot to give his team a 79-76 lead with 4:41 left in the quarter.

Minnesota trailed 65-57 at the half. Edwards had only four points before the break, and he finished the game with 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting. He made only 1 of 7 attempts from 3-point range.

Yet there was a major problem with the Pacers taking a 20-point home lead and the ensuing belief they were en route to taking a 3-0 series lead.

That's because the Knicks are highly comfortable when they trail by a large margin. For the third time this postseason, New York battled back from 20 down on the road to win the game. The latest impressive comeback places them in position to tie the series at 2-2 when the teams play Game 4 on Tuesday night at Indianapolis.

New York's 106-100 comeback victory was reminiscent of the Eastern Conference semifinals when the Knicks rallied from 20-point deficits in each of the first two games in Boston to earn victories en route to eventually winning the series in six games.

"We saw that we were on the brink of it looking pretty dark for us," Knicks star Jalen Brunson said Monday. "And the way we responded, I think it brings us closer together."

It certainly tightened up the best-of-seven series as New York outscored the Pacers 36-20 over the final 12 minutes.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to join Brunson as the only players in franchise history to tally 20 or more in one quarter during a playoff game. Brunson's record of 21 in a quarter came against the Pacers in Game 1 of last season's conference semifinals.

"The game wasn't looking great for me or all of us," said Towns, who also collected 15 rebounds. "I just wanted to do what it takes to put us in a position to win. It's a testament to my teammates to have trust in me and putting me in spots where I can succeed and utilize my talents."

Veteran New York coach Tom Thibodeau isn't surprised his club has registered three epic comeback wins over the past two series.

"In playoff basketball, no lead is safe," Thibodeau said. "I think with the 3-point shot, people make up ground quickly. With the pace of the game, people make up ground quickly. You see comebacks all the time. If you let up just a little bit, that's what happens."

Indiana is hoping to get positive news regarding forward Aaron Nesmith after he sprained his right ankle midway through the third quarter of Game 3. Nesmith is listed as questionable and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle termed Nesmith as a game-time decision on Monday.

Nesmith returned to the floor with 7:03 left in the game and was hindered down the stretch. He missed both shots he took and finished with eight points.

"I got the word that he was good to go back in, that he was moving without limitation at that point in time, and so rather than wait, I decided the best thing to do was get him back in there so it didn't stiffen up any more," Carlisle explained.

Nesmith started this series with career-best 8 of 9 shooting from 3-range to go with 30 points in Indiana's 138-135 overtime victory in Game 1.

Indiana star point guard Tyrese Haliburton will be looking for a better effort after pointing the finger at himself for the team's poor Game 3 second-half showing of 42 points.

"I didn't do a good job getting downhill and making plays," Haliburton said. "I've got to do a better job there. ... Execution down the stretch, we definitely can be better, and that starts with me."

Haliburton is averaging 21.7 points and 9.7 assists in the series.

Brunson had just 23 points in Game 3 but is averaging 34 in the series.

Towns and New York teammate Josh Hart both sustained knee injuries in Game 3 and are expected to be available.

Nesmith rolled his right ankle in Game 3 after driving to the basket and delivering an outlet pass while being guarded by the Knicks' Jalen Brunson. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Monday he expects Nesmith to be listed on the injury report as "questionable."

Nesmith scored a career-high 30 points in the Pacers' Game 1 victory over the Knicks but has totaled 20 points in the past two games of the series, including eight on 2-of-8 shooting in 26 minutes of Game 3.

Indiana has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and will host Game 4 at Indianapolis.

In 13 games of the 2024-25 playoffs, Nesmith has averaged 15.1 points with 6.2 rebounds as Indiana has gone 10-3. In 45 games (37 starts) during the regular season, he averaged 12.0 points with 4.0 rebounds.

John Haliburton has not attended any of Indiana's road or home playoff contests since his on-court confrontation with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on April 29.

Following that heated exchange after Game 5 of a first-round playoff series, the Pacers' front office decided that John Haliburton would not attend any more games for the foreseeable future.

He has missed eight games so far and will continue to remain away from the team for road games, according to ESPN.

After winning the first two games of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals in New York, the Pacers fell 106-100 to the Knicks in Game 3 on Sunday in Indianapolis.

Tyrese Haliburton, 25, is averaging 21.7 points, 9.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists through three games against the Knicks.

The two-time All-Star guard averaged 18.6 points, 9.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 73 games (all starts) during the 2024-25 regular season.

On Monday night, Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates will try to prove that Game 3 was an aberration instead of a crack in the team's foundation. The Thunder will tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals in Minneapolis.

Oklahoma City has a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series but is coming off a 143-101 drubbing on Saturday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander said the embarrassing loss should serve as a wake-up call.

"We don't try to go out like that, I promise you," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "But whatever it is, we've got to figure it out if we want to reach our ultimate goals. That's what the days in between are for, to get better."

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are eager to build upon a big win as they look to even the series. A loss would put them on the verge of elimination with the series shifting back to Oklahoma City for Game 5.

Timberwolves guard Rudy Gobert said the team's approach should be simple.

"We know who we are," Gobert said, "so just be ourselves."

Anthony Edwards leads the Timberwolves with 26.7 points per game through the series' first three contests. Julius Randle is averaging 19.3 points, and Jaden McDaniels is scoring 13.0 points per game.

Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder with 27.7 points per game in the series. Jalen Williams (19.3 ppg) and Chet Holmgren (15.7 ppg) round out the Thunder's big three.

Holmgren expressed confidence that he and his Thunder teammates can bounce back in their second straight game in Minnesota. He acknowledged how the Timberwolves regrouped after losing Games 1 and 2, and he said it was up to Oklahoma City to study film and find ways to reassert themselves.

"We have to do the exact same thing they did (after Game 2)," Holmgren said. "We have to go back and watch and see why what they did worked, and then figure out how to counter that."

Gilgeous-Alexander presented it as a choice for the Thunder. He scored 31 points in Game 1 and 38 points in Game 2, but he struggled on Saturday as he finished with 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

"(In) a long season, you get punched," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It's about getting back up. It's about responding. That's what the challenge is.

"We got punched in the mouth (in Game 3). Next game, we're either going to get back up or not. ... We have a decision to make, for sure."

One player who can expect more playing time on Monday is Timberwolves rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. He came off the bench to score 15 points in Game 3, and he impressed teammates and coaches alike with his physical drives to the rim.

"I've been wrestling with getting another guy in the rotation," said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. "A guy that could stretch the floor in transition, be a downhill player, got a good body, physicality. ...

"You're definitely going to see him more."