Jalen Brunson was emotional after a night which saw him being voted a first-time All-Star before leading the New York Knicks to a comeback win.
The Knicks overcame the loss of two starters again to rally for their ninth straight NBA victory, 109-105 over the Indiana Pacers, with Brunson pouring in 40 points hours after getting his All-Star nod.
Brunson scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help win a game in which the Knicks had trailed by 15 points.
He shook off an eye injury late in the game and made a driving layup with 1:46 remaining to give the Knicks the lead for good on Thursday.
Donte DiVincenzo added 20 points, Miles McBride had 16 off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points and 19 rebounds for New York, which was again without starters Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, with Mitchell Robinson and Quentin Grimes also out.
The Knicks, coming off a 14-2 January, have won nine in a row for the first time since a 13-game run in 2013 and moved to within a half-game of the Milwaukee Bucks for second place in the Eastern Conference standings before they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
But this night was about Brunson, who continued his spectacular season and was serenaded with MVP chants at Madison Square Garden.
"It was really cool, the whole experience, the night, how we won and obviously what happened before the game," said Brunson.
"You always work for certain moments, but you never know how to react when they happen.
"So it was special. When the game's going, you're focused and when it's over you kind of relax and realize what's going on.
"It's definitely different at that point. So, really thankful for the fans and what they've done for myself, my family and this team."
Brunson’s exploits meant the Pacers had a three-game winning streak snapped despite Jalen Smith scoring 22 points and Aaron Nesmith having 17.
Asked about Brunson’s growth, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said: "It's surreal. Each step of the way, there's always been naysayers, and he always proves them wrong.
"You just love his competitiveness and he never goes away."
DiVincenzo is getting used to praising Brunson in his post-game interviews, smiling to reporters that he was not sure what else he could say.
"He did exactly what everybody expects him to do and what he has been doing all season long," added DiVincenzo.
"The dude is an All-Star. He's having an MVP-caliber season right now. He should be the player of the month this month.
"What else can I say? The dude's doing everything he possibly can for us to win games. It's not easy right now with Julius going down, OG going down, Mitch not being here.
"Everything's been thrown against us and he's still willing us to win games."
While the Knicks have a day to prepare for their big clash with the Lakers, Indiana (27-22) is straight back in action at home against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Giannis and Lillard 'very' close to returning as Bucks keep Pacers series alive
Having kept their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Indiana Pacers alive with Tuesday's Game 5 win, the Milwaukee Bucks could recover their two leading scorers for Game 6.
Despite star duo Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard missing out due to injury, the third-seeded Bucks dragged the series back to 3-2 with a 115-92 victory at Fiserv Forum.
Khris Middleton had 29 points and 12 rebounds – his third straight game with at least 25 points – while Bobby Portis Jr. also had 29 as he made amends for being ejected in Milwaukee's Game 4 defeat.
That meant they became the first team in NBA history to win a playoff game when deprived of their two top scorers from the regular season.
The Bucks will go back on the road for another must-win game on Thursday, and they are hoping to have reinforcements.
Two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo has missed all five games in the series with a left calf strain, while Lillard has missed the last two contests after hurting his Achilles last week.
After Tuesday's game, coach Doc Rivers said both players were scheduled to work out on Wednesday and suggested they could be in contention for Game 6.
"I think they're very, very, very close," Rivers said.
Rivers was delighted by the way their team-mates stepped up in difficult circumstances, adding: "You could feel the energy in our film and in our walk-through.
"We were coming to play and win tonight. You could feel it in the preparation, that was not a team walking through a walk-through, thinking this was it. That's a team thinking they can win."
For Middleton, it was simply about staying alive and giving the Bucks' stars a chance to impact the series.
"We have to find a way to win, whatever it takes," Middleton said. "We're still confident. Our backs were up against the wall tonight, we had a great home crowd that got us going.
"So we're going to have to find a way. That's the only way to put it, find a way to get this next one and force a Game 7."
NBA: Maxey, 76ers stun Knicks with late rally for OT win in Game 5
Tyrese Maxey scored seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation to save Philadelphia’s season and finished with a playoff career-high 46 as the 76ers staved off elimination in their Eastern Conference first-round series with an unlikely 112-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
Down six with 28 seconds left in regulation, Maxey converted the rare four-point play with 25 seconds to play, and after Josh Hart’s free throw, hit a 35-foot 3-pointer to tie it at 97 with 8.1 seconds remaining in front of a stunned Madison Square Garden crowd.
Joel Embiid had 19 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists and nine turnovers for the 76ers, who will host Game 6 on Thursday.
Maxey added nine assists and was 7 of 12 from 3-point range.
Brunson scored 40 points and Hart had 18 with nine rebounds for the Knicks, who were tantalisingly close to reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight season.
Brunson scored the first five points of overtime but Maxey's 3 triggered a 9-0 run that Embiid capped with a 3-point play with 1:40 left for a 106-102 lead. Brunson tied it with a 3 but Kelly Oubre Jr. made the tiebreaking basket with 62 seconds to play, and Tobias Harris sealed it with two free throws.
Short-handed Bucks stay alive
Khris Middleton had 29 points and 12 rebounds and Bobby Portis added 29 with 10 boards as the Milwaukee Bucks stayed alive with a 115-92 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 despite missing leading scorers Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Portis had the highest point total of his playoff career and made amends after he was ejected from a Game 4 loss. Middleton had his third straight game with at least 25 points.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 16 points and Myles Turner added 13 for the Pacers, who still lead the series 3-2 and will try to close it out at home in Game 6 on Thursday. Indiana hasn’t advanced past the first round since 2014.
The Bucks got a balanced effort without Antetokounmpo and Lillard, as every starter scored in double figures. Antetokounmpo has missed the entire series and hasn’t played since straining his left calf on April 9. Lillard sat out a second consecutive game after injuring his Achilles tendon in Game 3 on Friday.
Cavs edge Magic for 3-2 lead
Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and Evan Mobley came up with a huge block in the final seconds to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 104-103 win over the Orlando Magic to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
After Mitchell missed a jumper with 15.7 seconds left, Franz Wagner drove the left side for a potential game-tying layup but was denied at the rim by Mobley with six seconds left.
Mitchell, who had 14 fourth-quarter points, was then fouled and made two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to up Cleveland’s lead to 104-100. Paolo Banchero made a 3-pointer in the final second for the final margin.
The Cavs bounced back at home after losing two road games and can finish off the Magic in Orlando in Game 6 on Friday.
Max Strus scored 16 points to help Cleveland offset the loss of starting center Jarrett Allen (bruised rib) and Mobley added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Banchero scored 16 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed eight rebounds, but the next closest Magic player was Wagner with 14 points.
Celtics mindset needed to change after Porzingis injury - Horford
Al Horford said that the Boston Celtics needed to change their mindset after losing Kristaps Porzingis to injury during their convincing Game 4 102-88 victory over the Miami Heat.
The Celtics now have a 3-1 series lead after Derrick White scored a career-high 38 points to edge the top seeds one step closer to the Conference Semifinals.
The win came at a cost though, as Porzingis was forced off with right calf tightness just before the end of the second quarter, but the Celtics rallied to win their sixth straight game in Miami.
Horford replaced Porzingis for the second half and told ESPN that the team had to change their approach after losing a key player.
“All of us, our mindset has to shift," he said.
“I talked to Luke [Kornet] and Xavier [Tillman] and let them know that all of us have to be ready to step up and do a little more because KP was playing so well defensively.
“It’s definitely concerning for me. He's in good spirits, but we don't know what it's going to be. I'm just hoping that it's nothing serious, and he can get back to us quick.”
Bam Adebayo finished with 25 points, 17 rebounds and five assists for Miami, but they struggled on offence once more, with Tyler Herro scoring 19 points and Caleb Martin adding 18.
The Heat coach, Erik Spoelstra, bemoaned his side’s struggles to get more points on the board, saying: “Offensively, we struggled again. We had some decent looks early on, weren't able to knock those down, and Derrick White was very good tonight — obviously. He was just very efficient, very good.
“I know in my heart we have a game that's there. It's just a matter of the ball going in a few more times, and all of a sudden it ignites.”
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