New York's Game 5 question is whether the offense can travel beyond Brunson rescue possessions

By Felix Navarro Apr 25, 2026

The Knicks tied Atlanta 2-2 because the floor opened around Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, not just because Jalen Brunson could save possessions. Game 5 is the test of whether that structure repeats at Madison Square Garden.

Fan question

What should Knicks fans watch in Game 5: Towns' playmaking hub, or another Brunson-dependent closing script?

Watch whether the Knicks keep the offense bigger than Brunson. New York tied the series 2-2 behind Karl-Anthony Towns' 20-10-10 triple-double, OG Anunoby's 22 points, a 68-44 halftime lead, and an 18-point lead extension while Brunson was briefly out after an ankle scare.

Picture the possession before the shot: Towns catches, the defense has to decide whether to stay attached, Anunoby is ready to punish space, and Brunson does not have to turn every late clock into a rescue job. That is the Game 5 watch.

The Knicks should be tracking one thing above everything else: whether Karl-Anthony Towns keeps functioning as a playmaking hub. New York tied Atlanta 2-2 with a 114-98 Game 4 win because the offense got bigger than Brunson. Towns had his first postseason triple-double: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. Anunoby scored 22. The Knicks led 68-44 at halftime. Then, when Brunson went to the locker room after Dyson Daniels fell on his left ankle, New York stretched the lead from nine to 18 while he was out.

That is not a Brunson dismissal. It is the opposite. It is how a serious playoff offense protects its best guard from having to solve every possession alone.

What to watch

Watch where the first useful decision comes from. If Towns is catching in spots where he can see the floor, trigger passes, and make Atlanta rotate before Brunson attacks, the Knicks have a real structure. The floor feels different when the first advantage does not have to come from Brunson's dribble.

Anunoby matters inside that same picture. His 22 points in Game 4 were not just a number beside Towns' triple-double. They were evidence that New York had another pressure point available when Atlanta's attention shifted.

Why it matters

Game 5 at Madison Square Garden is not about proving Game 4 happened. It is about whether the Knicks can repeat the shape of it. Atlanta's goal is obvious enough: shrink New York back into late-clock Brunson possessions and make the offense feel narrow again.

The ankle scare adds to the reason to watch usage closely, without turning it into a diagnosis. Brunson left briefly, and the Knicks still extended the lead. That sequence is the important basketball fact.

What counts as a real signal

A real signal is Towns generating clean offense before Brunson has to force the issue. Count the assists, yes, but also watch the quality of the next pass and whether Anunoby keeps getting usable looks. If the Knicks only survive when Brunson bends the possession by himself, Game 4 was a response. If Towns and Anunoby keep the floor connected, it becomes a series adjustment.