Knicks’ Jalen Brunson shoulders blame for Aaron Nesmith’s historic night, Pacers’ Game 1 victory

Jalen Brunson's 43-point effort put the New York Knicks in perfect position to take Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, that was until Indiana's Aaron Nesmith had an out-of-body experience.

With his team trailing 113-98 with just five minutes remaining in the contest, Nesmith authored one of the greatest individual displays of three-point shooting in NBA playoff history, as he knocked down his next six consecutive attempts from distance to help Indiana erase the Knicks' lead in improbable fashion. The Pacers would eventually claim the instant-classic battle in overtime by a score of 138-135, and Nesmith finished with a career-best 30 points and eight made threes in 38 minutes of work.

Following the Pacers' unbelievable Game 1 win, Brunson spoke with media members regarding Nesmith's all-time great fourth quarter performance, and whether he could have done more to prevent it.

"Once he hits one, you've got to be on high alert," Brunson told reporters Wednesday night, as shared by SNY.

"I've got to do a better job of finding him, I think he had like one or two that started it off with me in the vicinity."

"Just not a (good) way to close the game."

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Though Brunson did all he could to keep New York ahead on the offensive end, he was sure to point out his defensive miscues that partially led to the Pacers' unreal come-from-behind victory to take a 1-0 series advantage and steal home-court in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks' 2-time All-Star and 2025 Clutch Player of the Year award winner also briefly acknowledged Nesmith's proven shooting ability, noting that his performance was not necessarily a surprise.

"I mean, it wasn't rare, or a rare sighting. I mean, he can shoot, and when good teams have a hot shooter, they find him."

In 45 appearances for the Pacers in the regular season, the 25-year-old contributed 12.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while connecting on a blistering 43.1% of his looks from long-range. 

As the Knicks prepare for a must-win Game 2 in Madison Square Garden, the former No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Boston Celtics will surely have his name repeatedly circled and underlined in the scouting report.

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