A 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter helped the Indiana Pacers build a 13-point lead before they held off a late rally to defeat the New York Knicks 106-104 on Friday in Indianapolis.
Indiana held New York scoreless for just over three minutes, extending its lead to 102-89 on an Aaron Nesmith dunk with 6:36 remaining.
Nesmith was the fourth Pacer to score during the run, reflective of Indiana’s offensive balance throughout the contest. All five Indiana starters scored in double figures, including Nesmith with 18 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. with 16 and Ivica Zubac and Andrew Nembhard with 12 apiece.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 19 points, but his missed free throws in the final minute nearly proved costly.
With 23 seconds remaining in regulation and a chance to extend the lead to six points, Siakam missed a pair of free throws. The errant foul shots were part of a disastrous closing minute for Indiana, which gave New York an opportunity to send the game into overtime.
The Knicks forced a turnover on Indiana’s sideline inbounds play with 2.8 seconds remaining. Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 23 points, received the ensuing inbounds pass but missed a potential tying turnaround fadeaway jumper at the buzzer.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 33 points in the loss and dished 11 assists. Towns also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds for a double-double.
Indiana improved to 1-1 in East Group B of the NBA Cup, but its point differential remained at minus-18 after the narrow victory. New York fell to 0-2 in group play.
Zubac posted a double-double for Indiana with 13 rebounds. Nesmith added seven boards.
Mikal Bridges (18 points) and OG Anunoby (11) also finished in double figures for New York.
–Field Level Media
