Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton called for calm after losing Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals to the New York Knicks.

The Pacers missed the chance to secure a spot in the final following their 111-94 loss to the Knicks but still lead the series 3-2.

It was a rare off-night for the Pacers in the postseason, being held for less than 100 points for the first time and failing to take the lead at any point during the game.

They also had 20 turnovers, their most in a playoff game this season, and the starting five combined for just 37 points as Benedict Mathurin produced a team-high 23 from the bench.

Bennedict Mathurin in Game 5. pic.twitter.com/oXuzkdQ4o9

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 30, 2025

Despite the defeat, Haliburton remained optimistic going into Game 6 back in Indianapolis.

"We're a resilient group," Haliburton said. "We always want to respond when things don't go well after a game like that. We understand what the stakes are. We're fine. There's no need to panic or anything.

"I got to be better, and I'll be better in Game 6, we got to be better as a group. Our pace has to be better. That starts with me. I've got to be better there.

“As a group we've shown that we can have some success this playoffs. This was a rough showing for us tonight. So we'll watch the film, see where we can get better and be great."

Pascal Siakam, an NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, shared the same positive mindset as Haliburton.

"You're going to have bad games," Siakam added. "This is the NBA, and there's going to be times where a team is going to play hard. In fact, they're going to beat you.

"It is just all about us, man. It's always been us against the world, and I don't expect it to change. We are 3-2 in a series and we have an opportunity to go back home and show what we're made of."

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle put the loss down to a poor start, which allowed the Knicks to get going at Madison Square Garden, where New York avoided being knocked out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Carlisle said: "To start the game, we just didn't have the right level of force, the right level of attitude necessary in this environment. "It was a bad start; we never had a lead in the game.

“There were a multitude of things that were going wrong. There were stretches in the game where we got a little bit of traction, but never enough."

Game 6 takes place on Saturday, with a series against the Oklahoma City Thunder waiting in the NBA Finals.