Friday’s meeting with the Knicks gives the Pacers a chance to do more than just chase an NBA Cup win. It’s another installment in a rivalry that stretches back to the 1990s, and both teams come in with something to prove in East Group B after dropping their first tournament games.
Indiana opened with a 145-125 loss to the Miami Heat, while New York fell 98-93 to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks are the defending NBA Cup champions after beating San Antonio last season, and Indiana was the runner-up in the inaugural in-season tournament against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Pacers, though, will have to try to spring the upset without Tyrese Haliburton. They do, however, bring some momentum from Wednesday’s win over the Washington Wizards. New York has also found a better rhythm lately, winning four of its last five games, which is a big reason the Knicks enter as the clear favorite.
If Indiana is going to make this interesting, the battle in the paint has to tilt its way. Karl-Anthony Towns has been a force all season, putting up 20.9 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 55% from the field, 39.6% from three and 77.6% at the line.
He’s also committing the fewest fouls of his NBA career, a notable development for a player whose defense has often been the swing skill in his game. The Pacers will need to make life uncomfortable for him and keep him off the glass, especially with their own recent issues on the boards and the need to limit second-chance points.
That responsibility could fall in part to Zubac, who is coming off a 20-point, 12-rebound, two-block performance. If Indiana can get him going early, it could force Towns into a tougher night and possibly into foul trouble. Since both big men are elite rebounders, the Pacers have to treat the glass like a priority from the opening tip.
The other matchup that can shape this game is the one between Andrew Nembhard and Jalen Brunson. Nembhard has been excellent this season, and Brunson has been right there with him.
Their history adds juice to the duel: Nembhard struggled to contain Brunson in the 2024 playoffs, then answered with a lockdown showing in their 2025 postseason rematch. Brunson got the last laugh in a regular-season game when he buried a step-back three over him and sent Pacers fans home unhappy.
For New York, the formula is simple: get Brunson involved early and often. For Indiana, the challenge is surviving the Brunson-Towns pick-and-roll, whether that means Nembhard and Zubac handling it or Siakam taking on the big.
If Nembhard has an off night defensively, the Pacers are in trouble. He tends to welcome these kinds of assignments, though, and this one should be no different.
There’s also a wing-depth wrinkle for Indiana if Aaron Nesmith is out. That opens the door for Jalen Slawson, the athletic forward known around the Pacers as “The Slaw Dog.”
He brings energy, length and defensive versatility, and his plus-minus leads the team. His rise has been steady since preseason in 2025, and fans have been pushing for him to get a regular rotation spot.
Slawson’s ability to switch across positions and chase down plays could matter against New York’s forwards. He’s the kind of defender who can erase a layup attempt in transition, and his work in the fourth quarter against Washington may have put him in line for more minutes from Coach Carlisle.
In Other News...
Pacers Already Face A Pressure Point With Haliburton Sidelined
The Pacers are already dealing with an early-season squeeze, and Tyrese Haliburtons hamstring injury has only sharpened the focus on what this roster looks like without its engine. Indiana has opened 4-8, a rough start shaped in part by injuries, and the front office is already weighing mid-tier roster moves as it tries to steady the season before the standings get away from it.
What makes the situation tricky is that the problems are not isolated to one spot. Indiana has questions in the backcourt and the frontcourt, and the team still needs more reliable offensive support around its core while getting more from center Ivica Zubac. For a group trying to get back into playoff contention, the next move may matter almost as much as Haliburtons return. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Fans Just Got A Tough Reminder About A Recent Favorite
Doug McDermotts NBA run is over, and for Pacers fans, it brings back a familiar face from a player who seemed to keep finding his way back to Indiana. The sharpshooter, who entered the league as a first-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, spent 12 seasons bouncing around the league and carved out a career with the Pacers, Bulls, Thunder, Knicks, Spurs and Kings.
What makes McDermotts retirement hit a little harder in Indiana is how often he reappeared in blue and gold across multiple stints. He finished his career with Sacramento, but for Pacers followers, hell be remembered as one of those useful, reliable veterans who fit into the rotation and always seemed to remain part of the conversation, even as his career kept moving from stop to stop. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers May Have Finally Found Their Formula Without Haliburton
The Pacers finally put together a cleaner night in a 114-101 win over the Wizards, and it came at a time when they badly needed something to hang onto. With Tyrese Haliburton sidelined until at least Thanksgiving, Indiana has been searching for a way to steady itself after a 4-8 start, and this was one of the more encouraging signs that the group can survive for a while without its star point guard.
What stood out was the kind of work that does not always show up first in the box score, especially on the glass and in the collective effort department. If Indiana is going to keep from slipping further in the standings while Haliburton is out, it will need more nights like this one, where the pace is manageable, the rebounding is there and the load is shared a little more evenly across the roster. [Read more 🡒]