The chasers became the chased as the New York Knicks surrendered a commanding position to lose the first game of the Eastern Conference finals to the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks produced three stunning comebacks to beat the defending champion Boston Celtics in the previous round but found themselves on the wrong side this time as the Pacers clinched a 138-135 overtime victory.
final pic.twitter.com/Uu8ShnroC6
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 22, 2025
New York led by 14 points with less than three minutes of regulation to go but let it slip and would have lost without the need for OT had Tyrese Haliburton’s jumper not been ruled a two-point shot.
The Knicks still had their chances but a series of errors as OT closed out sealed their fate.
“There’s a lot of things we did good and we put ourselves in position to win. We played 46 good minutes. Those 2 minutes [are] where we lost the game, and that’s on all of us,” said center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns scored 35 points and Jalen Brunson poured in a match-high 43 before fouling out with 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
“In the playoffs, when you win, it’s the best thing ever,” said Brunson. “When you lose, it’s the worst thing ever.”
Haliburton loving life with youthful Pacers
Much like New York, the Pacers have made comebacks a habit this season.
“Well, I would like to not keep being in this situation,” Haliburton said. “But we’re just a group that has spent a lot of time with each other. I think that just gives us all confidence in each other.
“I’ve seen people joke about us. We’re like a college team with how close we are and how we’ve been together. We’re all super young. But man, it’s special. I love playing with these guys.”
Game 2 takes place tomorrow at Madison Square Garden.
