INDIANAPOLIS — As Jalen Brunson took accountability for his defensive shortcomings in the Knicks’ 130-121 Game 4 loss to the Pacers on Tuesday, his co-star Karl-Anthony Towns made sure the blame didn’t fall squarely on the team’s captain.
“We all have to be better for him. It’s not just him, it’s all of us,” Towns said, seated beside Brunson at the podium after New York fell into a 3-1 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals. “He’s Cap. Of course, he’s going to speak with the highest regard. As a team we have to all do better. It’s not just him, it’s all of us. We all have to do a better job of making it more difficult for each one of them to score.
“Tonight we didn’t do that as a team, not just him. A team. If you write anything write about the team.”
Brunson gave Towns a pat on the back as the two exited the interview room, walking off together after a tough loss. The All-Star guard finished with 31 points and five assists on 9-of-19 shooting, but the Knicks were outscored by 16 in his 37 minutes on the floor. They won Towns’ 37 minutes by three.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau pointed to a collective breakdown on the defensive end, particularly against Indiana’s constant motion and quick-hitting offensive actions.
“You’re not guarding the ball individually, so you have to be in the gaps,” Thibodeau said. “You also gotta read whether the drive is a penetrating drive or a flat drive. Everyone’s gotta be tied together. If we’re giving gaps up, there’s gonna be seams. We have to do better at that.”
Towns’ comments followed Brunson’s answer to a question about his defense in pick-and-roll coverages, particularly when targeted by All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton delivered a masterclass: 32 points, 15 assists, zero turnovers.
“I’m not doing enough. I could sit here and be very detail-oriented about certain things, but obviously not good enough,” Brunson said. “There has to be a difference on my part when it comes to that.”
The defensive struggles were felt across the roster.
“I feel like we just didn’t have an on-ball presence, an off-ball presence, rim protection,” said Miles McBride. “Honestly, our communication, a lot of talk from us, just wasn’t there.”
The Pacers’ pace has kept the Knicks scrambling. They’ve repeatedly pushed the tempo off both makes and misses, initiating offense with 18–20 seconds still on the shot clock. Game 4 was the second time this series Indiana cracked 130 points — and the seventh time this postseason they’ve scored 120 or more.
“I think it’s difficult for any team. You gotta commit. You can stop one action and then it’s the next action and it’s the next action,” said Josh Hart. “If one domino falls, a couple times you play good defense, my man made a back cut and got a layup. That’s one person’s mess-up, messing up the whole possession. Obviously they’re running good stuff but we have to make sure that we’re physical and locked in and just make it tough for them.”
Brunson has always taken losses personally and shared the credit in wins. That didn’t change Tuesday, even with the Knicks facing elimination.
“It’s a copycat league, but a lot of teams have different identities. Their identity is playing fast, make or miss, run the floor. We just got to follow our game plan and be disciplined,” Brunson said. “We weren’t disciplined tonight. I wasn’t disciplined. We just have to be smarter. I have to be smarter. It’s really that way.”
Towns made sure the postgame conversation wasn’t solely about Brunson’s miscues.
“We all got to be better. We all have to be better as a team,” he said. “It’s unfortunate we all couldn’t find a way to win tonight, and we found a way to win in all the other series.”
