Indiana Pacers blow 15-point lead in late loss to New York Knicks

The Knicks and Pacers battled on Thursday

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks battled on Thursday night for the second time of the season. This time, the two squads looked totally different than they did in their first meeting.

It was a significant day for the Knicks, who found out just before tipoff that Julius Randle (who was out) and Jalen Brunson were Eastern Conference All-Stars. That upped the emotion before any possession happened. But the Pacers were ready to roll in Madison Square Garden. It was a big night for two of the East's better teams.

The first few minutes were successful for the Pacers, who started off up 10-5. Their offense looked fast and effective against a shorthanded Knicks team. Indiana's star guard Tyrese Haliburton had a strong start.

That five-point lead was maintained for a while. The game had some chippy moments early, with both teams trading impressive blows, and with five minutes left in the first quarter it was 23-18. Each group had to feel good about their offensive start.

Pascal Siakam reached 10 points for the blue and gold with just over four minutes to go in the first quarter. He and Aaron Nesmith were knocking down shots early and were a key part of Indiana's offensive success.

The later parts of the quarter were a little sloppier for both squads, but the Pacers were able to maintain their lead in that stretch. Their bench was doing enough to hold an advantage, especially defensively. Jalen Smith made many nice plays on the less glamorous end of the floor.

Soon after, Indiana took a 10-point lead. They were rolling and exploded out of the sluggish portion of the game. Haliburton came back in to close the first quarter and made some important plays.

It was 36-26 Pacers after one quarter. Siakam and Nesmith were still tied for the most points on the team, and Haliburton had eight points, three rebounds, and three assists. That trio was excellent to start the game.

The second quarter opened with a Pacers bucket from Smith. He was filling his role nicely on both ends throughout the game to that point, which was significant in his team's advantage.

Their lead reached 15, but the Knicks answered with a quick four points. It didn't take long for Nesmith to get the Pacers going again, though, and their lead remained in double figures on the next few possessions.

Brunson checked in late in the half for the Knicks, and his ability to score kept New York in the game. His offensive level was phenomenal, and the home team would have been in trouble without him because the Pacers were still rolling. It was 55-41 with 3:26 to go in the second period.

Brunson helped the Knicks get the lead down to 10, but Indiana answered. Holding a double-digit lead going into halftime was going to be important for the visitors.

Instead, it was Bruson and the Knicks who closed the half strong. He had 21 points at halftime, including six in the final minute. That brought the scoreboard margin down to seven — it was 58-51 Pacers at halftime. Nesmith had 17 points at the break.

The second half started with a 5-2 run from the Pacers with Haliburton scoring all five points, and that gave Indiana a double-digit lead again. They were putting more pressure on Brunson defensively, which was giving the Knicks fits.

They weren't able to create much separation, though, and the lead hovered around seven for the next few minutes. Indiana couldn't find any offensive consistency like they did to open the game.

The Knicks took advantage of that fact and cut the Pacers lead down to four. They just never go away. New York's team is able to play with physicality and force for 48 minutes, even without some of their better players, and Indiana wasn't handling it well in the second half.

With 3:30 to go in the third quarter, the Pacers lead remained at seven. But it felt wobbly. The Knicks were playing well and looked more threatening throughout the second half. They were a few three-point shots away from a comeback, but they weren't able to knock them down.

New York closed the quarter strong, and they cut the lead to five by the end of the period. It was 84-79 entering the final frame. Nesmith's 17 still led the blue and gold while Brunson had 29.

The final quarter opened with a Smith three, a meaningful shot for Indiana's momentum. They needed that one, and their lead went back up to eight.

But New York answered quickly with two three-point shots, and the Pacers advantage was suddenly down to two. That prompted a timeout from head coach Rick Carlisle — he wanted to stop the bleeding that started just before halftime. His team was losing his lead, and fast.

The Knicks had several chances to take the lead immediately after the stoppage, but they were unable to do so. Indiana gripped the lead and were up by four with 8:41 to go.

Brunson and Siakam checked in at that time, and Andrew Nembhard instantly scored for the blue and gold. That got their lead back up to six, which was significant with New York's All-Star guard back on the hardwood.

Finally, with about 6:45 to go in the game, Brunson hit a three that tied the game up. The Knicks had many chances to even the scoreboard or climb in front, and they finally hit one. The final minutes were going to be a battle.

About a minute later, Brunson scored and gave the Knicks the lead, their first since the first quarter. They were finally over the hump, and they had been playing like the better team for a while. 

New York's run reached 12-0 — they were doing everything well. The Pacers were fading fast. They had been miserable on offense for much of the second half and looked like they had little chance to win.

Smith drilled a huge three to stop the run and cut the Knicks lead to three, but the Pacers still had work to do. They had to play much better in the final three minutes if they were going to win.

Smith scored again and drew a foul on Indiana's next possession, which cut the lead down to two. He was making many huge plays late to keep his team in the game. The reserve big man missed the free throw, so it remained a two-point game.

Two possessions later, Smith stole the ball and dunked, and it gave the blue and gold the lead. It was a controversial play — Brunson was poked and fell to the floor, but nothing was called on the court. The strange sequence changed the momentum of the game.

But it didn't matter. Brunson, once again, answered, and New York got another stop and score soon after. The home team was up by five with under a minute to go. They were close to finishing the Pacers.

That they did. They were far better in the final minute and held on to win 109-105. The Pacers scored less than 50 points in the second half and came up short.

They fell to 27-22 with the loss. Brunson finished with 40 points while the Pacers were led by Smith's 20.

Indiana next plays on Friday when they host the Sacramento Kings.

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• Indiana Pacers erase 20-point deficit but come up just short against Boston Celtics. CLICK HERE.
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