Jalen Brunson's winner propels Knicks past Pacers

Field Level Media|published: Thu 18th December, 22:02 2025

Dec 18, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) shoots the winning shot while Indiana Pacers guard/forward Andrew Nembhard (2) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson scored 25 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds remaining, to lead the visiting New York Knicks to a 114-113 comeback win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Jordan Clarkson had 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting from deep off the bench and fellow reserve Tyler Kolek added a career-high 16 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges chipped in with 22 points and OG Anunoby finished with 16 and a key steal to seal the sixth consecutive win for New York.

Andrew Nembhard led all scorers with 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting while Pascal Siakam finished with 26 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Bennedict Mathurin had 16 points and eight rebounds.

After winning the NBA Cup on Tuesday, the Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns (knee soreness), Josh Hart (abdominal strain) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle) against the Pacers, but they still had Brunson, last year's NBA Clutch Player of the Year.

With the Knicks trailing 113-111, Brunson knocked down a stepback 3-pointer over Nembhard to give New York the lead. After a Pacers timeout, Anunoby got a steal off the inbound that would ultimately run out the clock.

The Pacers had two 16-point leads on Thursday, including an 86-70 advantage with 3:56 left in the third following a Nembhard 3-pointer. New York, however, responded with a 16-6 run to end the third trailing 92-86.

Clarkson opened the fourth quarter by knocking down a 3-pointer from the right corner before Kolek's jumper gave the Knicks a 95-94 lead, their first since being ahead 5-4 in the first quarter.

Indiana fought back behind Siakam, who scored seven consecutive points for the Pacers to give them a 101-99 lead with 7:07 remaining. Clarkson responded with his fifth 3-pointer of the game to give the Knicks a 102-101 lead.

Later in the fourth, Nembhard gave the Pacers a 111-108 lead, but Anunoby answered with a three to tie the game.

In the first quarter, the Pacers took a 28-12 lead. Indiana made 10 of its first 14 shots while the Knicks missed 11 of their first 15 attempts.

The Pacers shot 70% from the floor in the first quarter. New York then outscored the Pacers 34-26 in the second quarter to head into halftime trailing 62-59.

Indiana has lost three straight.

--Field Level Media

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