The New York Knicks have life.

They can thank Karl-Anthony Towns for that.

After suffering fourth-quarter collapses in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, the Knicks returned the favor with a 106-100 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Towns’ 20 fourth-quarter points fueled the Knicks’ victory on a night they were down by 20 points in the first half and by 10 points going into the fourth quarter.

They now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“Anytime you can win it’s a good feeling,” Towns said during a postgame interview on TNT. “So down 2-0, finding a way to win tonight should raise our confidence, raise the morale of the team.”

Jalen Brunson’s tie-breaking floater with 1:17 gave the Knicks a 100-98 lead.

Myles Turner missed a 3-pointer with 22 seconds remaining that would have given the Pacers the lead.

The Knicks led 89-88 when Brunson’s fifth foul forced him to the bench with 7:03 left in regulation. He did not return until there was 1:37 left in the fourth.

But Towns’ shot-making – and a tightened-up Knicks defense – kept the Knicks afloat during Brunson’s absence.

Towns shot 6 of 9 from the field in the fourth after going just 2 of 8 for four points in the first three quarters. He finished with 24 points.

“When I got a chance tonight to do what I do in the fourth, I made sure I was gonna seize the opportunity,” Towns said. “I just wanted to go out there and give our team a chance to win.”

Brunson scored 23 points on 6-of-18 shooting.

It was a night of redemption for the All-Star, who spent nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter on the bench in Game 2. He was a -20 that night and struggled defensively.

It was also a night of redemption for the Knicks as a whole after they blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter of their Game 1 loss and faltered defensively in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

Towns, who also played with five fouls, has found success in this series when operating with Brunson on the bench, including during the Knicks’ 14-0 run in the fourth quarter of Game 1.

Sunday’s rally included a dunk by Towns that put the Knicks up 86-85 with 8:02 to go, giving them their first lead since the first quarter. His free throws with 5:46 left, followed by a 3-pointer on the next possession, put the Knicks up 94-90.

A pair of free throws by Pascal Siakam tied the game 98-98 at the 1:37 mark of the fourth.

But the Knicks made their free throws down the stretch – something they failed to do in Game 1 – and escaped with a victory

All of that drama followed a pregame lineup change by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.

With the Knicks seeking a spark after their two losses at home, Thibodeau inserted center Mitchell Robinson into his Game 3 starting lineup in place of Josh Hart.

The Knicks’ starters were outscored by 29 points over the first two games, and Indiana jumped out to first-quarter leads both nights. Robinson, with his relentless rebounding and rim protection, had posted a plus/minus of +41 off the bench this postseason.

Still, it was a bold move considering the Knicks hadn’t strayed from a starting five of Brunson, Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Towns all season.

The decision paid early dividends as the Knicks avoided a third consecutive slow start.

Robinson collected a pair of offensive rebounds and turned both into put-backs in the first five minutes, helping the Knicks take an 11-6 lead. He played nearly the first 11 minutes of the quarter, giving the Knicks six points and four rebounds before taking his first breather.

The Knicks stuck with their new starting lineup until the 5:36 mark of the first quarter, when Hart checked in for Towns with a 12-10 lead.

The Pacers started 2 of 11 from the field, but it wasn’t long before Indiana’s high-powered offense found its footing.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Turner and Ben Sheppard put Indiana up 16-15 for its first lead. The Pacers led 30-26 after one quarter, getting 13 points from their bench. Towns did not score in the first quarter for the second game in a row, though he did corral five rebounds.

The Knicks gave Brunson a rest to begin the second quarter. With Miles McBride in foul trouble, the Knicks opened the period with a lineup featuring little-used guards Landry Shamet and Delon Wright.

The offense largely stagnated, with Towns taking the Knicks’ first five shots of the quarter – making two – and committing an offensive foul on another possession.

Indiana, meanwhile, kept coming, scoring on six consecutive possessions in a three-minute span. T.J. McConnell gave the Pacers a boost off the bench, scoring or assisting on four baskets as Indy went up 42-32.

In another swing, Indiana challenged a shooting foul called against Tyrese Haliburton on a Towns dunk. The call was overturned, and Towns was charged with the foul – his third. He checked out with 6:10 before halftime and spent the rest of the quarter on the bench.

It quickly unraveled for the Knicks from there.

Haliburton stripped the ball from Brunson and found Obi Toppin for an alley-oop dunk in transition, putting the Pacers up by 15 points with 3:59 left in the quarter.

On the next possession, Haliburton pulled up and drilled a 3-pointer.

Haliburton then jumped an errant pass from Hart and turned it into another fastbreak dunk – capping a 13-0 run and putting the Pacers up 55-35.

Brunson picked up his fourth foul with 1:36 left in the first half.

Indiana led 58-45 at halftime after a second quarter in which it shot 10 of 16 from the field, forced six turnovers, scored 11 fast-break points and outscored the Knicks, 28-19.

The Pacers took a 16-point lead with 8:02 left in the third quarter, and they led 78-63 with under three minutes to go in the period.

But McBride scored seven quick points, cutting the Knicks’ deficit to 80-70 entering the fourth.

And they finished for the first time in this series.

The Knicks overcame 20-point deficits in Games 1 and 2 of the second round against the Boston Celtics, with both instances coming on the road.

The Knicks seek to become the first team in NBA history to win a conference finals after losing the first two games at home.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Indiana.

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