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By Matt Levine
Contributing Sports Writer
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The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers are getting ready to kick off Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, with Indiana holding a 3-1 series lead. The Pacers will be trying to advance to the NBA Finals, while the Knicks will look to stave off elimination for the time being.
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The game will be played at Madison Square Garden, potentially offering the Knicks a slight edge. However, the Pacers have already proven that they can win in New York, taking the first two games of the series on the road.
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But as the game gets going, both sides have key players listed on the injury report. For the Knicks, star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was dealing with a left knee issue that he suffered in Game 4.
Towns was listed as questionable for the game, but will play in the contest.
As for the Pacers, defensive star Aaron Nesmith was named on the injury report due to a right ankle sprain. Nesmith was also listed as questionable for the game, and will give it a go in this potential close-out game.
This series has been very close, with the Pacers just finding more ways to win at the end of games. But the Knicks may have some fight left in them and will look to give their fans a show tonight.
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If Indiana can take Game 5, they would then set up a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. This would also mark only the second time that the Pacers have ever reached the NBA Finals in franchise history.
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Both the Pacers and Knicks have gone 0-2 against the Thunder during the regular season. But for now, the two sides will be focusing on trying to eliminate the other.
New York will likely come out with a sense of desperation in this game, and hope that they can live to fight another day. If they can make it happen, Game 6 would then be played in Indiana on Saturday evening.
Game 5 is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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For more Knicks, Pacers, and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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