Pacers Pull Off the Impossible in Game 1 Thriller Against the Knicks

 

If you’re a Knicks fan, I know. That one hurt.

You had a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to go. You could practically taste the win. Madison Square Garden was loud, Jalen Brunson was cooking, and everything felt under control. Then the Pacers decided to throw logic out the window.

Final score? Indiana 138, New York 135 in overtime.

Yes, that really happened.

Tyrese Haliburton showed up when it mattered most. He dropped 31 points and 11 assists, but let’s be real—everyone’s going to remember that last-second jumper that sent it to OT. His foot was on the line, so it didn’t count as a three, but still. It silenced the entire Garden.

Then came Aaron Nesmith. This guy suddenly turned into a human flamethrower, drilling five threes late in the game and racking up 30 points. You could feel the energy shift. Knicks fans felt it too. And the Pacers? They didn’t slow down once they got momentum. They owned overtime.

Brunson had 43 points. Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 35. Offensively, the Knicks did their job for most of the night. But those last few minutes? It was all panic. Turnovers. Missed free throws. Confusion. And just like that, a game that felt like a sure thing slipped through their fingers.

Here’s the wildest part: before this game, NBA teams were 970–0 when leading by 14 or more points in the final 2:50 of a playoff game. That streak? Gone.

And let’s talk about Haliburton’s post-shot celebration. If you’re a longtime fan, it probably gave you flashbacks to Reggie Miller’s iconic “choke” moment at the Garden. The Pacers really know how to haunt this building.

So now it’s Indiana up 1–0 in the series, and they’ve got all the momentum heading into Game 2. Knicks fans, you’ve been through worse. But there’s no denying it—this one will sting for a while.

Game 2 is coming fast. Let’s see who shows up.