Knicks vs Pacers Match Player Stats 31 May Game 6 Recap & Highlights

Game 6. The night where everything either ends… or begins. For the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, May 31, 2025, wasn’t just another playoff clash. It was a war for the Eastern Conference crown — one final shot to punch a ticket to the NBA Finals. Fans in Gainbridge Fieldhouse screamed themselves hoarse. Emotions ran wild — in every rebound, every whistle, every bucket.

New York had clawed through injuries, bad shooting nights, and doubters. But Indiana? They were steady, fearless, playing their best ball when it counted most. And tonight? They were ready to deliver.

This post dives into the full Knicks vs Pacers match player stats 31 May Game 6 and what really happened that night. We’ll break down the key plays, the moments that swung momentum, and the numbers behind the drama. From Haliburton’s cool control to Siakam’s powerful moves, and Brunson’s relentless hustle to costly Knicks turnovers — you’re about to get the full picture.

If you missed the game, buckle up. You’re about to feel every second of it.

Knicks vs Pacers Match Player Stats 31 May Game 6

This wasn’t just a playoff game — it was survival. Indiana entered Game 6 up 3–2 in the series, just one win away from closing out the Knicks. New York’s only goal? Force a Game 7 back home. The pressure was crushing. Every missed shot echoed louder. Every made three lifted the roof.

Inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the crowd was electric. Indiana played sharp, sharing the ball, hunting open shots, and controlling the pace. New York, meanwhile, fought hard but struggled to find rhythm, burdened by turnovers and fatigue.

The scoreboard told the story: Pacers 125, Knicks 108. Indiana was better, smarter, sharper. But the real story lies in the numbers. In this section, we dive into the full Knicks vs Pacers match player stats 31 May Game 6 — breaking down how the Pacers sealed the deal and where the Knicks fell short.

Here’s the full team box score comparison:

Game Summary & First Half Breakdown

Right from the jump, the Pacers smelled blood. They attacked with fierce urgency, like they knew this was their night. In the first quarter, Indiana blitzed the Knicks with sharp ball movement, perfect spacing, and a relentless barrage of threes. Tyrese Haliburton looked like a floor general possessed, orchestrating every play. Meanwhile, Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam set hard screens and cut with purpose. New York, on the other hand, seemed jittery, struggling to find rhythm. By the end of Q1, the Pacers had built a 35–23 lead, leaving the Knicks scrambling once again.

Indiana’s pressure on the ball was suffocating. They forced early turnovers on Miles McBride and DiVincenzo, disrupting New York’s offense. The Knicks couldn’t get the spacing needed to open up those crucial corner threes. Every possession was a grind.

In the second quarter, the Knicks pushed back hard. Jalen Brunson took charge, driving aggressively, while Josh Hart cleaned the glass with some clutch rebounds. New York trimmed the deficit to single digits midway through the quarter. But momentum was fragile.

Coach Rick Carlisle made smart moves—taking Haliburton out briefly to reset the tempo and bringing in Aaron Nesmith, who injected some much-needed defense. Meanwhile, Tom Thibodeau wrestled with rotations. Foul trouble bit deep—Isaiah Hartenstein picked up his third early, weakening the Knicks inside. With Mitchell Robinson sidelined, New York had little room for error.

The pace favored Indiana. They ran on misses, fired early threes, daring the Knicks to keep pace. Thibs tried to slow things down, but Indiana kept pushing. Halftime score? Pacers 70, Knicks 55. New York was still hanging in there — just barely, but the cracks were starting to widen.

Second Half Breakdown & Key Moments

The third quarter was Haliburton’s statement. The guy was on fire. First possession, he came off a screen and nailed a deep three — no hesitation. Then another. And another. In just five minutes, New York’s 15-point halftime gap grew to more than 20. His pull-up jumper had the Knicks’ defense spinning.

The Knicks looked stunned. Their offense stumbled—rushed shots, shaky hands. Brunson tried to steady the ship, driving and kicking, but the looks didn’t fall. Missed threes, loose rebounds. One possession ended with DiVincenzo heaving a desperation shot at the buzzer. The chances were there, but the shots refused.

Meanwhile, Indiana kept piling on the pressure. Siakam attacked the rim with fire. TJ McConnell, off the bench, was a force—stealing balls, diving on the floor, causing chaos. The Knicks mounted a small rally, cutting the lead to 13 late in Q3 thanks to Hart and Brunson. But then the dagger struck.

With under a minute left in the quarter, Obi Toppin — a former Knick — drained a corner three, silencing the crowd. Then Haliburton grabbed a steal at halfcourt, pulled up from 30 feet, and drained another three. That shot felt like the final blow.

The fourth quarter opened in stunned silence. Knicks fans looked shell-shocked. New York tried to rally—DiVincenzo hit one tough shot, Brunson scored through contact—but it wasn’t enough. Every time they got close, Indiana answered with threes or forced turnovers.

Those turnovers killed the Knicks. Bad passes, rushed decisions. Five giveaways in the last seven minutes, each one turning into a dagger. The Pacers smelled the fear and closed the door like killers.

And just like that… the game slipped away.

Knicks Player Stats & Performance Review

Game 6 wasn’t just a loss. It was a heartbreak. For the Knicks, the numbers paint the outline, but the pain showed in their eyes. This was their shot to force a Game 7. Instead, they walked off the floor with heads down and hearts heavier than the scoreboard.

Jalen Brunson left it all out there. Played through a foot that wasn’t right, played through doubles, through contact. He put up points — led the team — but it wasn’t clean. The Pacers threw every look at him. He tried floaters, turnarounds, even deep pulls. A few dropped, most didn’t. By the end, it looked like he was carrying a piano on his back.

Josh Hart was everywhere — until he just couldn’t be anymore. Chased loose balls, contested wings, and crashed glass like a madman. But by the third, the tank hit empty. His corner threes flirted with the rim but wouldn’t go in. You saw it in his face — frustration, exhaustion. He wanted it so bad.

Donte DiVincenzo had a first half to forget… and then came alive. Late in the third, he sparked something. Back-to-back threes, a sneaky steal, a flash of life. For a few minutes, it felt like the Garden might erupt. But the run fizzled. He finished with respectable numbers, but no miracles this time.

Isaiah Hartenstein brought the grind. Fought for boards, boxed out like a bouncer. He even dove for a few tap-outs, classic dirty work. But the touch around the rim betrayed him. A couple of those short hooks clanked, and with Indiana grabbing everything, there was no room for second chances.

OG Anunoby… he tried. He suited up, gave it a go. But the movement wasn’t right. He was cautious, hesitant. No burst, no confidence in his shot. Just a body out there, and the Pacers knew it. That lingering injury turned him from an X-factor into a passenger.

Let’s break it all down — the raw numbers behind the fight:

Pacers Player Stats & Standout Players

The Pacers came into Game 6 ready to dance in the fire. The Garden was loud. New York was desperate. But Indiana played with a calm swagger — not rattled, not rushed. This wasn’t just execution. This was a clinic in composure.

Tyrese Haliburton was surgical. He didn’t chase points — they found him. In the third quarter, he unleashed pure pain from deep. One step back, three after another, each one felt colder than the last. But it was his poise that crushed the Knicks more than the points. He never panicked. He just read the floor and made the right call, every single time.

Myles Turner was a wall. A scoring wall. A shot-altering, floor-spacing wall. He drilled threes when left alone and made life miserable at the rim. Every time Brunson snuck into the paint, Turner loomed — hands high, timing perfect. It was like trying to shoot over a shadow that never left.

Andrew Nembhard? Smooth killer. Quiet, but lethal. Never out of place, never rushed. He found seams in the defense, knocked down timely jumpers, and never forced a thing. Just smart, controlled, winning basketball.

Pascal Siakam bullied his way to impact. When New York went small, he flexed. Grabbed rebounds like he owned them. Posted up guards, finished through contact, then kicked out to shooters when help came. Veteran presence, all heart.

Aaron Nesmith brought the chaos — the good kind. He flew around the court, poked balls loose, snuck in for boards, and nailed a big-time corner three that slammed the door in the fourth. His stat line won’t scream at you, but his fingerprints were on every hustle play that mattered.

Now let’s look at the Pacers’ stats — where balance met brilliance:

Turning Points That Decided Game 6

Game 6 wasn’t just a battle of skills — it was a game of moments. Small plays that shook momentum and defined the night. A few key sequences flipped the script and made the difference.

First up, Tyrese Haliburton’s third-quarter 3-pointer — that step-back from the right wing. It wasn’t just the points; it was the timing. The Knicks were trying to claw back, but Haliburton drained that shot with ice in his veins. It felt like the floor just got smaller for New York.

Then there’s Donte DiVincenzo’s missed dunk early in the fourth. Man, that one stung. The Knicks were looking to cut the lead, and a dunk here could’ve swung energy their way. Instead, it rimmed out, and the Pacers pushed the break. Momentum slipped away fast after that.

Another big moment was the fourth-quarter foul on Jalen Brunson. He was having a good night, but that foul came at a critical time — just when the Knicks needed a basket. Instead, it sent him to the bench, and the Pacers took advantage with some quick buckets.

And you can’t forget the crucial turnover by Josh Hart late in the game. That careless pass handed the Pacers a fast-break layup, widening the gap just when the Knicks tried to rally.

These moments weren’t huge on their own, but stacked together? They crushed the Knicks’ hopes. Game 6 belonged to the Pacers because they made their big plays count.

Tactical Analysis – What Went Wrong for Knicks

The Knicks didn’t fold. They came out fighting. But Game 6 exposed some cracks that had been forming the series. First — the rebounding battle. It wasn’t even close. Indiana beat them to loose balls, boxed out harder, and cleaned up the glass on both ends. Second-chance points dried up for New York, and with them, so did momentum.

Offensively, it was too much Brunson, not enough help. The ball stopped moving. When he sat, the offense froze. When he drove, defenders just waited — because they knew no one else was going to beat them off the dribble or hit enough shots to make them pay. Predictable. One-dimensional.

Then came the breakdowns — not the obvious ones, but the small things. Late closeouts. Slow rotations. Miscommunication on screens. All of it snowballed. Suddenly, a three-point lead became a ten-point hole. The Knicks were reactive, not proactive. And that’s a bad place to be in a must-win.

Pacers’ Strategy That Worked

Meanwhile, the Pacers didn’t just show up — they showed out.

They tweaked their scheme and it worked. That mix of zone looks with quick help in the paint forced the Knicks to think instead of react. They clogged passing lanes, made driving lanes shrink, and turned New York into a jump-shooting team that couldn’t find rhythm. It wasn’t just about stopping shots — it was about disrupting flow.

What really separated Indiana, though, was how everyone contributed. This wasn’t just Haliburton putting on a show. It was Siakam bruising his way inside. It was Nembhard staying cool under pressure. It was Turner stretching the floor one minute and sealing the rim the next. The ball moved, guys cut hard, and they stayed connected.

And Haliburton — man, he just knows how to steer the ship. Never rushed. Never rattled. Every time the Knicks tried to rally, he either slowed it down or sped it up — whatever the moment needed. That kind of poise can’t be taught.

Game 6 felt like the final swing in a tough series. The Knicks fought hard but just didn’t adapt fast enough. The Pacers? They stayed sharp, played with control, and made New York chase shadows.

New York heads home with bruises, regrets, and a long list of what-ifs. Indiana moves on — steady, smart, and surging toward a bigger stage.

Series Recap & What’s Next for Both Teams

The Knicks vs Pacers series didn’t fizzle out — it burned slow, then cracked wide open. Six games of swings, scrapes, and stretches of brilliance. The Pacers? They closed the door. Slowly, deliberately. Not with one blow, but by leaning harder every night. Their spacing improved. Their rotations tightened. Their bench chipped in. By Game 6, it wasn’t even about who wanted it more — it was about who could execute longer.

New York had chances. Multiple. They led quarters. They made runs. But the little things broke them — loose rebounds, shaky help coverage, cold spells at the worst times. Brunson fought. Hart bled. DiVincenzo sparked. Still, none of it stuck for long enough.

Indiana now walks into the Finals with rhythm. With belief. And most importantly, with a style that works. Haliburton controls tempo like a vet. Siakam gives them versatility. Their shooters have just enough space to keep things honest. It’s not flashy — it’s just effective. And right now? That’s all they need.

For a full breakdown of the intense battle that led up to this moment, be sure to check out our detailed stats and highlights from the knicks vs pacers game 5.

Final Thoughts

Game 6 didn’t just end a season. It left a mark.

For the Knicks, it felt like hitting a wall they thought they could climb. Not because they didn’t try — they did. But because every time they reached for a foothold, it crumbled. Painfully close. Emotionally exhausting. The Garden crowd tried to will them forward. The players tried to answer. But the spark never turned into fire.

There’s pride in how they fought, sure. But there’s also frustration — with the timing of injuries, with the streaky shooting, with how fast things slipped away in the second half. This one’s going to linger. A whole summer of “what ifs.”

And for the Pacers? This is what building something looks like. One layer at a time. No one player stole the spotlight every night. They rotated wins. They rotated the impact. And in the end, they came together when it mattered most.

This series reminded fans of everything playoff basketball should be — wild swings, unexpected heroes, late-game tension that punches you in the chest. Both teams earned respect. One moves on. The other regroups.

And all of it — every run, every miss, every timeout — lives in the numbers from that final night. The full Knicks vs Pacers match player stats for Game 6 on May 31 say plenty.

But the eyes said more.

Henry Philips

Henry Philip is the Lead Publisher at VCEMagazine.com, where he delivers in-depth coverage of the sports world — from player stats and game analytics to financial profiles of elite athletes. With a background in sports journalism and data analysis, Henry tracks performance trends and off-field ventures across major leagues like MLB, NFL, NBA, and international football.
Over the years, he has profiled top stars, broken down match-day metrics, and analyzed how athletes build wealth through contracts, sponsorships, and business ventures. His work bridges the gap between on-field performance and off-field financial strategy, helping fans understand the full picture of sports success.

Whether writing about a quarterback’s clutch stats or a baseball legend’s business empire, Henry’s focus is on accuracy, insight, and trusted storytelling.