Pacers 138, Knicks 135 (OT): Easy come, easy go
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
And so the pendulum swings back.
After being up 17 with 6:26 remaining, the New York Knicks gave up an otherworldly fourth quarter to Aaron Nesmith and the Indiana Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton’s buzzer-beating game-winning three failed a litmus test on replay — ‘twas merely a two; toe on the line — but the sentiment behind his choke taunt beat the allegations. Nesmith scored 20 of his 30 in the fourth quarter on 6-of-6 shooting from deep as the Knicks played prevent offense and tried to run out the clock. One three, two threes, three threes, four; by the time New York realized what was happening, it was too late.
But on it went, dragged into overtime after Haliburton triggered five minutes of free basketball. The rest is but a blur, with every Knicks’ bucket a strike of the flint, every Pacers’ counter a gust of cold air sucking any hope of momentum into an incomprehensible vacuum. If you have words to describe what we just witnessed, hats off to you and yours. That’s my game story. As soon as it was over, it wasn’t, and then it was over all again, with the tables turned on a team that seemed strapped to their chairs with only minutes to go.
Notes
OG Anunoby finished with 16 points and 6 stocks. But all in all, this was one of his worst games as a Knick, if not his worst. Defensive lapses are a rarity for the 232-pound demon with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, but last night they were abundant. Anunoby was too deep or too late with coverage more in the fourth quarter than we’ve seen from him all season. Related: Nesmith hit six threes in the frame.
I can’t find anything negative to say about Karl-Anthony Towns, who I thought was in line for his first sigKnickture moment with a potential game-tying three late in OT. Obviously that fell short, but nothing about his night similarly qualifies: 35 points, 12 rebounds and two stocks. He hit four threes, each more impressive than the last and more than he made in the entire Boston series. Many called for a big Towns series. I expect that to be the case if Game 1 tells us anything.
Josh Hart was another culprit in the Pacers’ Great Heist Of 2025, his off-ball defense highlighting many of the Knicks’ self-inflicted wounds down the stretch. I didn’t care for much of his offense either, though I could admittedly be watching that tape through hate-colored glasses. Hart has got to be better. That’s what comes with being the heartbeat of the team. Yes, the Knicks go where Jalen Brunson goes, but how quickly they get there is usually in line with how well Hart’s playing. New York needs to be able to space the floor with Hart to play their best ball.
Mitchell Robinson played 21 minutes, all magnitudinous. He played only seven of the 17 minutes in the fourth quarter and overtime. Unacceptable.
Put me down for a generous serving of humble pie, but I’m enjoying the Miles McBride renaissance that started in Game 6 against the Celtics and hopefully continues until at least Game 5 of this series. Deuce scored nine while playing the kind of defense that’s expected of him, including a clutch block of a Pascal Siakam dunk attempt in the fourth. McBride, like Mitch, needs to play more.
I’m not sure how to evaluate Mikal Bridges in this one. I was on the edge of my seat down the stretch, waiting to see the guy who sealed Games 1 and 2 in Boston. He never arrived. Bridges’ shotmaking was fine, but 16 points on 16 shots has room for improvement. Defensively he played along the same plateau, holding Haliburton at times in ways only he can. Bridges didn’t rise to the moment last night. That’s okay. He’s far from the biggest culprit.
It’s hard to critique the guy who scored 43 on 69% true shooting to lead all scorers. But the way Brunson played in pockets throughout this game, particularly in overtime, was just flat-out frustrating. He’s proven Nesmith can’t guard him, but it still feels like he’s out to prove it twice over, taking the matchup personally and falling into a tunnel vision that translates into turnovers. He was increasingly susceptible to Indiana’s intentions, and most of his five fouls were deserved. Being held to just six minutes in the fourth was equal parts a nod toward his shortcomings and the officiating in this one. On a positive note, when he first checked out of the game with five fouls, New York scored 14-0 unanswered. The double-big lineup becoming go-to in non-Brunson minutes is an a look I’d like to see Thibs rock more often.
After overcoming multiple 20-point deficits to the Celtics, the Knicks gave up a 17-point lead to open their first conference finals in 25 years. And so swings the pendulum, back and forth and back and forth.