The Pacers dropped a heartbreaker to the Knicks 106-100 at home Sunday, on the same day Indianapolis celebrated its signature sporting event – the Indy 500.
It’s becoming something of a curse. The Pacers are now 0-4 all-time when playing on Indy 500 day, with two of those losses coming against these same New York Knicks.
The team tried to embrace the racing connection, handing out special gold-and-blue “Vroom Baby” T-shirts to fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Even Indy 500 winner Alex Palou stopped by during the second quarter, sporting a Tyrese Haliburton jersey as he waved to the crowd.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle had congratulated Palou before the game, calling it a “great race” and noting the Spaniard was the first from his country to win the prestigious event.
Palou’s been on fire this year, winning five of six IndyCar races in 2025. He’s cruising toward his third straight IndyCar title and fourth in five years.
But his winning energy didn’t transfer to the home team.
The Pacers built a massive 20-point first-half lead, only to watch it evaporate.
It wasn’t just Palou’s presence that failed to bring luck. Six players from the Pacers’ 2000 Eastern Conference championship team, including Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, were also in the building.
The Knicks simply got hot at the perfect time – or more specifically, Karl-Anthony Towns did.
When Jalen Brunson headed to the bench with five fouls after three quarters, Towns took over. He exploded for 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as New York erased yet another 20-point deficit.
“It’s a true test when you’re down 20-plus,” Towns said after the game. “Tonight was the kind of night where he had to have that never-say-die attitude. They put me in great spots to succeed, and I just wanted to capitalize on the opportunity.”
“All of us are just trying to do whatever it takes to win, get ourselves back in the game. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to where at the end of the game we found ourselves with a chance of winning.”
Brunson, who finished with 23 points, gave New York its first lead at 89-88 on a layup with 7:10 remaining.
The Knicks dominated the final quarter, outscoring Indiana 36-20.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points and six assists, while Myles Turner added 19 points. Pascal Siakam contributed 17 points and four rebounds.
There’s also injury concern for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith, the hero who helped the Pacers rally twice from fourth-quarter deficits to win the first two games in New York, rolled his right ankle in the third quarter.
Though Nesmith returned in the fourth quarter and finished with eight points and seven rebounds, his status for Game 4 remains uncertain.
“Regardless of who’s out there, we’ve got to be able to attack better and do the things to maintain it and finish the game,” Carlisle said. “We just simply did not execute as well as we needed to.”
Despite the loss, the Pacers still lead the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
