Bold Predictions for New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers Game 6

The New York Knicks staved off elimination on Thursday, winning Game 5 over the Indiana Pacers, 111-94.

Now, the series will shift back to Indianapolis for another potential closeout game for the Pacers, with momentum seemingly following the Knicks after the blowout.

How will Game 6 play out? Who will swing that contest one way or the other? And who will ultimately win?

Answers to all of that and more can be found below.

Tyrese Haliburton Will Bounce Back

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We just witnessed about as big a game-to-game swing as you can possibly see from an NBA player.

In Indiana's Game 4 win, Tyrese Haliburton had an absurd stat line: 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, four steals and zero turnovers. Two days later, he went for eight points on 2-of-7 shooting and handed out six assists in a loss.

The consistent version of Haliburton is obviously somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, but he's closer to what we saw in Game 4 than what we saw Thursday.

And as he returns home, expect a return to form.

In 13 career home playoff games, Haliburton has averaged 19.5 points and 8.9 assists. And his team has gone 11-2 in those contests.

But Jalen Brunson Will Effectively Trade Punches With Him

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The Knicks may be down 3-2, and Jalen Brunson is still on the wrong side of zero in the series-long plus-minus column, but Indiana hasn't really been able to slow the diminutive point guard's production.

After dropping 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting on Thursday, the two-time All-Star is now averaging 33.0 in the conference finals. And he's adding 5.4 assists per game for good measure.

In Saturday's Game 6, despite the number of gritty perimeter defenders Indiana can throw at him (like Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard), expect Brunson to continue to pour in points at all three levels (plus the free-throw line).

And with the two lead playmakers exchanging haymakers, it feels safe to also expect something of a shootout in the potential series-deciding game.

Indiana Will Have a Big Night from Three

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Even after going 10-of-30 from deep in Game 5, the Pacers lead the postseason with a 39.7 three-point percentage.

Pascal Siakam, Nesmith, Haliburton and Obi Toppin all shot worse than they typically do from the outside, and it's hard to imagine that happening two games in a row.

With the home crowd and the jitters of their first shot at an elimination game in this series behind them, at least two of those Pacers will get back on track from the outside.

And that will be enough for another strong showing from deep.

In each of their three conference finals wins, Indiana has hit at least 13 threes and shot at least 40 percent from deep.

The Turnover Battle Will Swing Back to Indiana

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The biggest difference between Game 5 and the rest of this series may well have been the turnover battle.

Through the first four games, New York averaged 15.0 giveaways, while the Pacers were at 10.5. On Thursday, Indiana had 20, while New York matched its average.

The Knicks deserve plenty of credit for playing more aggressive, connected defense, but several of the Pacers turnovers were just the kind of mistakes they don't typically make. In the regular season, Indiana averaged the third fewest turnovers per 100 possessions in the league.

It'll get back to taking care of the ball on Saturday, and that will take some of the wind out of the sails of New York's offense.

And the Pacers Will Punch Their Ticket to the NBA Finals

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With the Knicks' transition offense limited by fewer Pacer turnovers and Indiana a bit more locked in from three, the Pacers should be able to win at home and end this series.

As is often the case when a series hits this point (one team having more than one chance to close things out), Indiana appeared to have let its foot off the gas a bit even before the game started. It's human nature to let your mind drift to the fact that you'll get another shot at home in 48 hours.

But that won't happen again. Knowing Game 7 would be in New York will force the Pacers to focus and come out far more aggressively on Saturday.

And after that win, Indiana will return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.