Knicks vs. Pacers: Three keys to Game 6

1. CONTAIN HALIBURTON — AGAIN

The Knicks held Tyrese Haliburton to eight points and 2-for-7 shooting, cutting off the head of the snake for the Pacers in Game 5. One word of caution: The Knicks held him to six points in Game 1 of their matchup in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals and he responded with 34 points the next game. Cleveland limited him to four points and 11 points in Games 3 and 4 of their series, but as Indiana closed out the Cavs, he put up 31 points in Game 5. The Knicks may not hold him below double figures again, but if they make him work as hard as he had to in Game 5, that’s a start.

2. HOME AWAY  FROM HOME

The Knicks have been successful on the road — 6-2 in the postseason — but they seemed to be spurred on by the home crowd Thursday. Gainbridge Fieldhouse isn’t going to give them a push for their defensive efforts, but more to the point, the Knicks need to take the crowd out of the game early and not let the Pacers play their run-and-fun style.

3. FOLLOW THE CAPTAIN

While the Knicks got a contribution from a wide array of players Thursday, it was Jalen Brunson who got them started with an offensive attack — 12 points in the opening 7:37 of the game as they built a double-digit lead — and a surprisingly tenacious defensive effort. You can expect Brunson to set the tone again, but the Pacers know that and will try to limit him just as the Knicks did Haliburton. One item to watch for — Brunson was 5-for-5 with Aaron Nesmith as the primary defender after hearing Nesmith described as a Brunson-stopper.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.