Despite a hot streak, the Knicks fell in a stunning overtime thriller.
The New York Knicks came into Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden riding one of their best stretches of the season. Winners of nine of their last 10 games, the Knicks looked like a team ready to cruise into the All-Star break.
Instead, the Indiana Pacers had other plans.
In a game that went back and forth with 39 lead changes, the Pacers pulled off a 137-134 overtime upset to snap their own four-game losing streak and hand the Knicks just their second loss in 11 games.
It was one of the more head-scratching results of the Knicks' season, considering Indiana came in with one of the worst records in the NBA.
But after the game, Jalen Brunson made it clear he was not about to disrespect what the Pacers brought to the table.
"They kept their confidence and rhythm the whole game," Brunson said. "Regardless of what the record is, they're great. Great coach, they do everything well, they play hard, they play to the last second."
The Pacers Proved Brunson Right
Even without Tyrese Haliburton, who has been out all season recovering from an Achilles injury, Indiana played with the kind of energy and purpose that made them Eastern Conference finalists a year ago.
Pascal Siakam led the charge with 30 points, while Andrew Nembhard added 24 points and 10 assists to go with it.
Indiana had eight players finish in double figures, and their bench outscored the Knicks' reserves 43-18, which ended up being the difference.
Rick Carlisle's group scored the first nine points of overtime and held on despite a late Knicks push that saw New York score eight points in the final 20 seconds.
The Pacers now sit at 14-40 on the season, but as Brunson pointed out, the record does not tell the full story of how tough this team can be on any given night.
The Knicks Will Be Fine
As tough as this loss was, it does not change the fact that New York is one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Brunson poured in 40 points with eight assists and five rebounds on the night.
Josh Hart recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in overtime.
The effort was there, but the three-point shooting was not.
The Knicks went through an 11-for-26 stretch from the fourth quarter through overtime that cost them.
Brunson is averaging 27.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game this season, putting him sixth in the NBA in total points scored.
He has been the engine behind everything New York does on offense.
With the recent addition of Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans, the Knicks have even more depth to work with heading into the second half of the year.
At 34-20, the Knicks still have a strong grip on a top seed in the East.
The Knicks have just one game left before the All-Star break, a road matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
A loss like this one stings, especially at home, but this is not a team that is going to let one bad night define their season.