The Pacers rallied for an incredible comeback against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and a former Celtics was front and center for the heroics. Aaron Nesmith scored 20 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the visitors fought back from a 14-point deficit in the final 2:40 of regulation to force overtime. Indiana ultimately went on to win 138-135 in overtime to steal Game 1 and homecourt advantage for the series.
Nesmith was on fire as the Pacers closed out regulation on a 20-6 run to tie the game, scoring 14 of those points in the final 2:40 including four 3-point makes. He went 6-of-7 from the 3-point range in the fourth quarter before Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-tying jumper to force overtime.
“Once he hits one, you have to be on high alert,” Jalen Brunson told reporters in New York of defending Nesmith. “I have to do a better job of finding him. I think he had one or two to start it off with me in the vicinity. That’s not the way to close the game.”
According to ESPN Analytics, the Knicks had a win probability of 99.8 percent before Nesmith led the Pacers rally in the final minutes. No team that had trailed by more than nine points in the final minute of the fourth quarter in the playoffs had ever come back to win a game since 1998, per ESPN.
Nesmith has spent three years with the Pacers since the Celtics traded him away in the summer of 2022 as part of a trade package that included Daniel Theis and first round pick to land Malcolm Brogdon.
The 25-year-old has blossomed quite nicely on the wing for Indiana over the past three years, turning into a starter for the past two seasons. Nesmith has been integral during Indiana’s postseason run to the East Finals so far, averaging 16 points per game while shooting a scorching hot 53.8 percent from 3-point range over 11 games. His 30 points in Game 1 were a career-high.
Nesmith and the Pacers will look to take a 2-0 series lead in New York on Friday night.