Pacers 106, Knicks 104: Indiana survives a late scare as Towns misses at the buzzer
Siakam and Nesmith led the Pacers to their first winning streak of the season, but New York had the last shot after an Indiana turnover.
The Indiana Pacers held off the New York Knicks 106-104 in NBA Cup play on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a game that looked settled with under two minutes left and was not decided until Karl-Anthony Towns' jumper fell short at the buzzer.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 19 points and Aaron Nesmith added 18, according to the Associated Press. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 16 and Ivica Zubac had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 33 for New York, Towns had 23 points and 15 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges scored 18.
A comfortable lead, then a tense finish
Indiana used a 15-4 second-quarter run to take a nine-point lead into halftime, the IndyStar reported. The Knicks came out of the break with a 35-point third quarter, and a 10-0 run turned an 85-74 deficit into an 85-84 game going into the fourth, per the AP.
Siakam's 15-foot jumper with 1:49 left put the Pacers up 106-98, and it turned out to be the last Indiana basket. Brunson's driving layup cut the lead to 106-102 with 26 seconds left. The Knicks fouled Siakam, who missed both free throws, and Bridges scored to make it 106-104 with 10 seconds to go.
Indiana then gave New York one more chance. According to the IndyStar, Siakam's inbound pass did not reach Andrew Nembhard and OG Anunoby recovered it, leaving the Knicks 2.8 seconds. Towns got a look from about 15 feet, and it came up short.
Both teams shot 43% from the field. The difference was on the glass and at the line: Indiana won the rebounding battle 50-43 and made 18 of 25 free throws to New York's 10 of 13.
What it means
Siakam took the blame for the finish. "Obviously, we got to close it better, or I got to be better making sure we close the game out," he said, per the IndyStar. Coach Rick Carlisle credited the opponent: "New York is a championship team, they know how to make comebacks."
The win was Indiana's second in a row and its first winning streak of the season, moving the Pacers to 5-8. They are still without Tyrese Haliburton, who remains out with a hamstring injury, according to the IndyStar. Nesmith, who was limited by right knee soreness in Wednesday's win over Washington, was available on Friday. The IndyStar reported he left in the final seconds with an apparent hand injury and that the team had no update after the game.
The reigning champion Knicks fall to 6-6 with a second straight loss. New York visits Toronto on Sunday, while Indiana travels to Philadelphia.