The Indiana Pacers lost 106-100 at home to the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday, the same day as the Indianapolis 500.
Pacers Have Lost Twice To Knicks On Race Day
The Pacers now have an 0-4 all-time record when playing on the same day as the Indy 500. Two of those losses came to the Knicks. Indiana lost all three other previous games in 1999, 2004, and 2013.
Team officials handed out gold-and-blue T-shirts with the words “Vroom Baby” to celebrate the rare Pacers and Indianapolis 500 doubleheader. The winner of the race, Spain’s Alex Palou, paid a visit to Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the second quarter.
Palou donned a Tyrese Haliburton jersey as he waved to the crowd.
from Indy 500 winner to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals 👏
welcome to @GainbridgeFH, Alex Palou. pic.twitter.com/mBKtYBrjaA
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 26, 2025
#Pacers just recognized Alex Palou after his #Indy500 win earlier today. pic.twitter.com/GxJoJTkFe6
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 26, 2025
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle opened his pregame news conference by congratulating Palou, saying the three-time IndyCar Champion was the first Spaniard to win while calling it a “great race.”
Palou’s win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was his fifth in six races in 2025, putting him on pace for a third consecutive IndyCar title and a fourth in five years. The only race Palou hasn’t won this year is the Long Beach Grand Prix, where he placed second.
Indiana Blew A 20-Point First-Half Lead
Although Palou’s presence at Gainbridge Fieldhouse may have put a jinx on the Pacers, the team had already lost three other times during Memorial Day weekend prior to Sunday’s defeat.
More importantly, six players from the Pacers’ 2000 Eastern Conference champs roster, including Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, also were in attendance inside the arena.
Perhaps the Knicks just got hot at the right time — at least one player did.
When Jalen Brunson was benched for picking up his fifth foul after three quarters, Karl-Anthony Towns took control of the game, scoring 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as New York erased yet another 20-point deficit.
“It’s a true test when you’re down 20-plus,” Towns said. “Tonight was the kind of night where he had to have that never-say-die attitude. They put me in great spots to succeed, and I just wanted to capitalize on the opportunity.
“All of us are just trying to do whatever it takes to win, get ourselves back in the game. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to where at the end of the game we found ourselves with a chance of winning.”
Aaron Nesmith Returned After Rolling Right Ankle
Brunson, who finished with 23 points, scored on a layup with 7:10 to play to finally give New York an 89-88 lead. The Knicks outscored Indiana 36-20 in the final frame.
New York trailed only two more times the rest of the night. The Knicks never led by more than four until the final free throws with 2.6 seconds left.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points and six assists, while Myles Turner added 19 points and four rebounds. Pascal Siakam ended his outing with 17 points and four boards as well.
Aaron Nesmith, who helped the Pacers rally twice from fourth-quarter deficits to take the first two games in New York, suffered a right ankle sprain during the third quarter.
Nesmith returned in the fourth quarter to finish with just eight points and seven rebounds, but Carlisle said he wouldn’t know more about Nesmith’s chances to play Game 4 until Monday.
“Regardless of who’s out there, we’ve got to be able to attack better and do the things to maintain it and finish the game,” Carlisle said. “We just simply did not execute as well as we needed to.”
New York still trails in the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
