Something about MSG brings out the buckets for the Pacers and they delivered another entertaining win against their long-time rival.
The Pacers snapped their four-game losing streak with an epic effort to beat the Knicks, 137-134 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. In a season that has become more about celebrating losses, this win was worth enjoying as the Pacers went all in, as they did in OKC, to deliver when it mattered and earn every bit of that W.
The Pacers were down 6 at the half after giving up 69 points to the Knicks and appeared to be taking a familiar path to another loss despite some solid play from several players that had the early score going back and forth. No lead was safe in this one as the teams changed the lead 39 times including down the stretch in the fourth quarter when all the stars showed up to win.
It was easy to tell that the Pacers were in go for it mode when you see that Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith all played around 37 minutes while the Knicks had Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart all on the floor for over 40 minutes. They all played the extra 5 OT minutes, but still, none were leaving the floor ‘til this thing was decided.
It provided a little playoff flavor for a non-playoff Pacers team, quieting a raucous MSG in overtime as the crowd appeared to feel spooked by the of ghosts from last May that ended their season. Aaron Nesmith was in that mode for sure, making Brunson work for some wild shots to get to 40 points.Just ask World Wide Wob.
Siakam and Nembhard did their usual stuff to lead the winning effort, with Siakam scoring a hard-earned 30 points, despite missing half of his 10 free throws including a couple key ones late. Nembhard added 24 points and 10 assists while joining Nesmith as the pesky defender all around the floor.
But as we’ve seen all year, those guys can’t do it alone and on this night there was help to be had. Jarace Walker sat out the game with an illness, so with Furphy out, Quenton Jackson was tapped to join the starting lineup and he took full advantage of the opportunity.
Q did it all with 19 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, a steal, a block and four made 3-balls. But none bigger than the trey he hit in OT to put the Pacers up 7 and provide just enough cushion to hold on for the win. The Pacers scored the first 9 points of OT but the lead was down to 1 in the final five seconds. QJack came through again, making a pair of free throws to put the Pacer up three. After a foul and missed free throw by Landry Shamet, the Knicks were out of options and the Pacers celebrated the win.
Jackson has been held back in several games of late due to his two-way contract status, but once again, showed his value as a utility player for any role needed. Big game or not.
Also, Ben Sheppard and newcomer Kobe Brown were strong off the bench. Shep finished with 10 points on 5 shots and 7 rebounds, looking very comfortable in an intense MSG game against the Knicks. Brown’s did a little bit of everything in his debut, making a three and scoring inside to finish with 8 points and 6 rebounds while posting a team-best +13 during the 19 minutes he was on the court.
When the game was far from decided, there was another highlight coming out of a commercial as the broadcast showed Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac engaged in a hoops IQ summit, appearing to discuss some Xs and Os nuance. Glorious to see that relationship begin to take off with an eye toward next season.
Now what?
Earlier in the day, Zubac had a press conference to take questions from the media which you cansee here. He did not clear up any time table for his debut on the court for the Pacers, just confirming he wants to make sure his ankle is 100% ready to go before starting to play, again.
On Tuesday morning,Rick Carlisle made his usual radio appearance on The Fan Morning Show and had some interesting comments on the addition of Zubac and departure of Bennedict Mathurin. He mentioned spending more time with Mathurin than any other player he can recall. Mathurin made his debut with the Clippers on Tuesday, playing 26 minutes off the bench to score 9 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. IJax played 5 minutes for the Clips and scored 5 points.
The Pacers play their last game before the All-Star break on Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets. We will have to see how the injury report shakes out before the game since the Pacers have been resting the top of the playing rotation on back-to-backs of late and if they ever deserved a rest, it was after that effort in MSG last night. Only difference this time is the long break after this game.
Pacers vs. Nets
**Where:**Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
When: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +5.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, , Pascal Quenton Jackson, Jay Huff
Nets: Nolan Traore, Terance Mann, Noah Clowney, Danny Wolf, Nic Claxton
Injuries
Pacers: T.J. McConnell (hammy) - questionable, Aaron Nesmith (hand) - questionable, Micah Potter (hip) - questionable, Ivica Zubac (ankle) - questionable, Johnny Furphy (knee) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Nets: Noah Clowney (ankle) - probable, Nic Claxton (hip) - questionable, Michael Porter Jr. (knee) - out
Indy Cornrows with Tom Lewis is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.