Tyler Kolek lit up Knicks universe with another outstanding performance — this one his best yet as he rescued the Knicks from a 16-pt deficit in the 1st quarter, and a 16-pt deficit in the 3rd quarter to drive NY to a 114-113 win at Indiana on a Thursday night.
Jalen Brunson was the final hero — hitting a CLUTCH 3-pointer with 5.6 seconds left to turn a 113-111 Knick deficit into a 114-113 lead, and then OG Anunoby stole Indiana’s in-bound pass to win it for NY — racing up the court for a drive that was blocked, but Tyler Kolek securing the rebound with less than a second remaining as the clock ran out.
Kolek was a perpetual-motion machine — pushing the tempo relentlessly and putting Indiana on their heels whenever he was in the game. His passing was faster than your eye could see — hitting guys with perfect dishes for easy scores — guys whom you didn’t even see were open watching on tv. Kolek was orchestrating, commanding guys where to go, penetrating, dishing, scoring, hitting 3’s, and playing heady and physical defense.
The Knicks rested a bunch of their regulars after winning the In-Season Tourney Cup 2 nights before in Vegas — Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, and Josh Hart had the night off, with Miles McBride and Landry Shamet still out due to injury. Instead NY started Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti, and had Trey Jemison III, Guerschon Yabusele, and Pacome Dadiet as first 3 guys off the bench. Indiana was 6-20 coming in — and NY seemed to think they could win with their B team.
NY fell behind by 16 in the 1st quarter — and then brought Tyler Kolek in — and within minutes NY was back in the game — pulling within a point midway thru the 2nd quarter. NY fell behind by 16 in the 3rd quarter — but brought Tyler Kolek back in — and within minutes NY was back in the game. It was like that.
Kolek had 16 pts on 7-10 shooting (2-4 from 3) with 11 assists, 6 rebounds, a steal, and a block in 26 minutes — on a night when Jalen Brunson was subpar — despite 25 pts on 10-23 shooting (3-8 from 3) with 7 assists.
“Man I was garbage — to start the game; and then my second half was garbage as well,” said Jalen Brunson afterwards. “I want to thank The Lord for Tyler Kolek, for playing the way he’s playing… and saving me. We found a way to win this one.”
NY improves to 19-7, 1.5 behind Detroit which lost. Indiana falls to 6-21.
1. Knicks Use 3rd Team — Indiana Races Out to 16-Pt Lead
With NY resting KAT, Mitch Robinson, and Josh Hart after the In-Tourney Finals win in Las Vegas 2 nights earlier — and with Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet still out, coach Mike Brown started Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti, and subbed-in the 3rd team early in the game — with Trey Jemison III, Guerschon Yabusele, and Pacome Dadiet.
And Indiana raced out to a 16-pt lead in the 1st quarter as Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Quenton Jackson, and Bennedict Mathurin seemed to take offense. They jumped out to a 26-12 lead.
2. Kolek Comes In & Brings Knicks Back Into Game
Tyler Kolek entered the game to start the 2nd quarter with NY down 11, and immediately started to push the tempo, attacking, attacking, attacking Indiana — putting them on their heels.
He hit a 3, grabbed an offensive rebound, hit Bridges for a 3, penetrated — went one way then another for a score.
crafty kolek to the cup 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/gEd8HOBuBf
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 19, 2025
He fed big men for easy slams or layups.
Tyler to Huk for the Gotham Lob pic.twitter.com/n4kg5Yt9hi
— Knicks Fan TV 🏀🎥📺🏁 (@KnicksFanTv) December 19, 2025
And all the while relentlessly pushing the pace. A Kolek fadeaway jumper brought NY within 53-50 with 2 minutes left. A Kolek feed to Brunson for a 3-and-1 made it 56-54 Indiana with 1:39 left in the half.
kolek impressing in the first half 😮💨
📊 9 PTS | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/ZoFBgzQsRo
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 19, 2025
“Tweeted this below on Tyler Kolek in 2024 at Marquette,” noted NBA Analyst Ross Kreines. “Good to see Tyler now playing with confidence along with shooting the ball with confidence,creating for others, making the game easier, playing angles all while playing his role and valuing the basketball for the Knicks.”
3. Indiana by 3 at the Half — But Extend Back to 16-Pt Lead in 3rd
But Kolek was on the bench to start the 3rd, and Indiana started to pull away again.
Andrew Nembhard was red hot all evening (31 pts on 12-19 shooting, 4-5 from 3), Jay Huff was scoring inside, Bennedict Mathurin was getting buckets (16 pts on 7-18 shooting, 2-9 from 3), Pascal Siakam was doing his thing (26 pts on 9-22 shooting, 2-6 from 3) and T.J. McConnell came in to be a major pain in the ass as he always is (8 pts on 4-6 shooting) — and Indiana pulled back out to a 16-pt lead, at 86-70 after a Nembhard 3.
4. Kolek Comes Back In & Brings NY Back Into Game Again
Indiana was up 86-72 with 3:07 left in the quarter — when Tyler Kolek re-entered the game.
And just like that, he re-energized the Knicks, and led them right back into the game. He assisted Bridges on a dunk, penetrated, drew the defense — and sprayed back out to Bridges for a 3.
tyler, the kreator to MIKAL 🎯 pic.twitter.com/j6bpUjGB9V
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 19, 2025
Kolek then fed Trey Jemison III for a drive-and-1, then fed Bridges for a 3. Indiana 89 NY 83 with a minute left in the 3rd. A Kolek 3 with 3 seconds left in the quarter pulled NY within 92-86.
KOLEK CHAOS. WOW. pic.twitter.com/Nz84EPJmaw
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 19, 2025
5. Rollercoaster 4th Quarter
Jordan Clarkson came up big all night with scoring off the bench (18 pts on 6-12 shooting, 5-9 from 3). He hit a big 3 near the start of the 4th, and Kolek continued his amazing play — feeding Jemison for a dunk, hitting a drive and then hitting a pullup for a 95-94 Knick lead with 8:41 left.
The next 8 minutes would be a rollercoaster — as Indiana and NY battled back and forth for the lead. Indiana edged back out to a 109-102 lead — but NY came back on a huge OG 3 and a Brunson turnaround jump shot for a 109-108 Indiana lead with 3:14 left.
Nembhard hit a fadeaway, but OG hit another Huge 3 for a 111-111 tie with 1:51 left.
pic.twitter.com/c4pgiEkHfk
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 19, 2025
6. Brunson 3 Wins It; OG Steal Seals It
With 16 seconds left, Siakam was fouled by OG and made both free throws to put Indiana up, 113-111.
NY inbounded after a timeout, and Andrew Nembard gave Brunson a HARD personal take foul.
JALEN BRUNSON CALLED GAME AFTER ANDREW NEMBHARD SHOVED HIM‼️😱 pic.twitter.com/vaxVrDRab1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 19, 2025
That seemed to piss Brunson off — as he told coach Mike Brown that he was going to take it.
NY inbounded again with 11 seconds left, and Brunson hit a CLUTCH 3 with 5.6 seconds left for a 114-113 NY lead — with a double bang from Mike Breen.
Captain Clutch Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby seal the deal as the Knicks come back to beat the Pacers 114-113! pic.twitter.com/FTQ2Ace31Y
— Knicks Fan TV 🏀🎥📺🏁 (@KnicksFanTv) December 19, 2025
Indiana still had a chance — inbounding with 4.4 seconds left — but Siakam stumbled and OG Anunoby stole the ball — racing down the court for a layup that Siakam blocked — but too late as Kolek grabbed the rebound as the clock expired.
The Boxscore
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401810227