Knicks vs Pacers Player Stats 2025–26: Every Number That Mattered This Season

When These Two Teams Meet, Basketball Gets Interesting

Some rivalries produce memorable moments every few years. The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers seem to produce them every time they share the floor.

Through the 2025–26 regular season, these Eastern Conference opponents met four times. The Knicks finished the series with three victories, but anyone watching those games closely knows how misleading that sounds. The total combined scoring gap across all four matchups was a mere 13 points. Indiana won one game outright in overtime, nearly stole two others, and pushed New York to its absolute limit on every occasion.

What drove each result was individual performance — guards making shots under pressure, big men controlling the paint, role players stepping into moments they were not expected to own. Breaking down the Knicks vs Pacers player stats from this season reveals exactly where each team gained its edge and where it nearly gave the series away.

This article walks through every game, every key performer, the head-to-head matchups that shaped outcomes, and the deeper statistical evidence behind a three-one series result that was far closer than it looks on paper.

How the Four Games Unfolded

Before getting into individual numbers, here is the complete series log:

Two games in Indianapolis, two at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks went 1–1 on the road and 2–0 at home. Indiana went 1–1 away from home and 0–2 on their own floor — a surprising pattern given how well the Pacers typically play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Game-by-Game Breakdown

Game 1 — A One-Point Escape in Indianapolis

The Knicks arrived in Indiana for the season opener between these teams and got far more resistance than expected.

New York played balanced, purposeful basketball through the first three quarters. Brunson ran the offense without overdoing it, finishing with 25 points and seven assists. Towns established himself inside early, collecting 14 rebounds while scoring 18 points on a night when Indiana’s front line never found a reliable answer for his combination of size and skill.

What made the game genuinely difficult was Nembhard’s performance. The Pacers guard dropped 31 points — a career scoring high — and gave Indiana a fighting chance until the final buzzer. Siakam supported him with 22 points and nine rebounds, playing with the physicality and shot creation that makes him so difficult to contain over 48 minutes.

The deciding moment came late. Indiana had a legitimate opportunity to steal the game, but Brunson stepped to the free-throw line with three seconds on the clock and converted both attempts. Final score: Knicks 114, Pacers 113.

It was the kind of opener that set the tone for everything to follow — no easy nights, no comfortable leads, nothing given.

Game 2 — Forty Lead Changes and Overtime at the Garden

February brought the Pacers to New York, and it brought chaos with them.

Indiana came in having dropped four consecutive games. Nobody expected them to walk into Madison Square Garden and produce one of the most entertaining performances of the entire NBA season. They did exactly that.

Brunson played as well as he has played in any regular-season game in recent memory. Forty points, eight assists, five rebounds — a complete masterpiece from a player operating at the absolute peak of his abilities. Hart was equally brilliant, registering 15 points alongside 11 rebounds and 11 assists for a triple-double that would have been the story of any other game. Towns fought hard with 22 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the closing minutes, a development that shifted the game’s balance at the worst possible moment.

Indiana had answers for everything. Siakam scored 30 on 60 percent shooting and never seemed rattled by the MSG environment or the quality of opposition across from him. Nembhard orchestrated everything with 24 points and 10 assists, running the offense with the poise of a veteran point guard. Eight Pacers players reached double figures. Indiana’s bench outscored New York’s reserves by 25 points — a gap that regulation simply could not absorb.

Overtime went Indiana’s way from the opening tip. The Pacers built a nine-point lead in the extra period. New York mounted a furious late rally, getting within two with seconds remaining, but couldn’t finish the comeback. Pacers win, 137–134.

Game 3 — New York Makes a Defensive Statement

The return to Indianapolis three weeks later looked very different.

The Knicks arrived focused on defense in a way they had not emphasized in the previous two meetings. They held Indiana to 39 percent shooting from the floor and just 26 percent from beyond the arc — easily the Pacers’ worst shooting performance of the series and one of their more difficult offensive nights of the entire season.

Brunson was again New York’s engine, producing 29 points and nine assists. Anunoby gave the Knicks 25 points from the forward position while defending multiple Indiana assignments at a high level. The single most impactful performance, though, belonged to Robinson. The Knicks center collected 22 rebounds — a new career high — and added four blocked shots in a display of interior dominance that changed what Indiana could do near the basket.

Indiana fought back from 14 down in the third quarter and actually grabbed a 74–73 lead. New York answered with seven unanswered points to close the game. What sets true contenders apart from the others is their ability to close out when a comeback is developing and the audience senses a change. Knicks 101, Pacers 92.

Game 4 — New York Finishes the Job Convincingly

Of the four games, the Madison Square Garden season series finale was the most biased.

New York shot 54 percent as a team, dominated the glass by a 13-rebound margin, and watched their bench unit outscore Indiana’s reserves by 18 points. At the height of the game, the Knicks led by 27. Indiana committed 18 turnovers and surrendered 23 points directly off those mistakes — an unacceptable carelessness for a team that needed to win.

Anunoby led all scorers with 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, asserting himself as New York’s offensive focal point with Brunson in a secondary role for once. Brunson still contributed 22 points and eight assists. Towns delivered his fourth double-double of the series.

Indiana found little to celebrate beyond Brown’s 18-point bench effort, which at least demonstrated some competitive spirit in a game that slipped away very early. Final: Knicks 136, Pacers 110.

New York Knicks — Full Player Stats

Jalen Brunson — Series Averages: 29.0 pts | 7.8 ast | 4.5 reb | 48% FG | 38% 3P

Brunson was the most impactful player across this entire four-game stretch by a considerable distance. His scoring averages were remarkable, but what stood out more was the quality of his decision-making in tight situations. He hit the free throws that sealed Game 1. He posted 40 points in a losing effort in Game 2. His advanced metrics confirmed what watching him reveals — a Player Efficiency Rating of 27.8 and a true shooting percentage of 60.1 at a 30.5 percent usage rate represents genuinely elite production.

OG Anunoby — Series Averages: 21.5 pts | 6.8 reb | 42% 3P

Anunoby’s value to the Knicks extends well beyond his scoring line. He guarded Indiana’s best wing players for extended stretches, contested mid-range attempts effectively, and knocked down three-pointers at an efficient rate. His 27-point closing performance in Game 4 was the most complete offensive outing of the series for any forward on either team.

Karl-Anthony Towns — Series Averages: 19.3 pts | 13.0 reb | 1.8 blk

Towns was the one player who produced a double-double in every single game. His combination of perimeter shooting and interior presence created structural problems for Indiana’s defense that never fully resolved across the series. He also protected the rim well — 1.8 blocked shots per game from the center position is a meaningful deterrent.

Mikal Bridges — Series Averages: 15.8 pts | 44% 3P

Bridges delivered steady, efficient scoring from the wing throughout the series. His shooting from deep kept Indiana’s defense from collapsing on Brunson and Towns, and his on-ball defense against Indiana’s guards was a consistent positive.

Josh Hart — Series Averages: 12.5 pts | 9.8 reb | 7.0 ast

Hart’s triple-double in Game 2 was the signature moment, but his value showed up in smaller ways across every game — contested rebounds, active passing lanes, physical defense. He is the kind of player whose stat line undersells his actual influence on game outcomes.

Mitchell Robinson — Series Averages: 9.5 reb | 1.8 blk

Robinson’s 22-rebound career-high in Game 3 was the type of performance that single-handedly changes the possession battle. His energy off the bench and interior presence gave New York a genuine advantage whenever he was on the floor.

Indiana Pacers — Full Player Stats

Pascal Siakam — Series Averages: 24.0 pts | 7.2 reb | 4.5 ast | 49% FG

Siakam carried Indiana’s offense with the assurance of a player who has been in big games his entire career. His 49 percent field goal percentage was the highest among all primary scorers in the series, and his 30-point Game 2 was the foundation of Indiana’s only victory. He was the Pacers’ most dangerous weapon every night and consistently demanded the best defensive attention New York could provide.

Andrew Nembhard — Series Averages: 18.5 pts | 7.0 ast

Nembhard contributed at both ends. His 31-point Game 1 opener was the finest scoring night of his NBA career and showed the offensive ceiling he is developing. Defensively, he forced Brunson into turnovers at a rate no other opponent managed this season — a genuine disruption that made Indiana’s matchup difficult for New York’s star even on nights when he still scored heavily.

Jarace Walker — Series Averages: 16.0 pts | 7.5 reb

Walker used this series to make a clear statement about his role going forward. He scored consistently, rebounded above his position, and showed the two-way instincts that make him a long-term building block for Indiana. His Game 3 performance of 18 points and nine rebounds on a night when the Pacers held the lead briefly was his most impressive outing.

Aaron Nesmith — Series Averages: 12.3 pts | 40% 3P

Nesmith gave New York’s guards defensive length and distance from the wing. His readiness to cover Brunson for extended periods of time, and to do it with effort rather than just positioning, gave Indiana’s defense a new dimension that helped them win many games. closer than they could have otherwise been.

Myles Turner — Series Averages: 11.5 pts | 6.8 reb | 2.0 blk

Turner protected the rim and altered shots throughout the series. His challenge was defending Towns on the perimeter, which pulled him away from the basket and limited his shot-blocking opportunities at key moments. When he stayed near the paint and made New York’s drivers uncomfortable, Indiana’s defense held up better.

Kobe Brown — Series Averages: 10.5 pts | 5.0 reb (bench)

Brown was Indiana’s most reliable bench contributor. In a game that had already gone against the Pacers, his 18 points in Game 4 gave them a boost, and his enthusiasm off the bench was one of the few positives from that evening.

Team Stats Side by Side

The rebounding gap was present in every single game — not an outlier or a single dominant performance but a consistent pattern that accumulated into a meaningful possession advantage. The turnover differential told a similar story. Indiana gave the ball away 3.3 more times per game on average, and New York was efficient at converting those chances into scoring at the other end.

Advanced Metrics

Brunson’s 0.62 win shares led the series. His efficiency at high volume remains one of the more underappreciated qualities of his game. Anunoby’s 61.2 percent true shooting on lower usage reflects a player who picks his spots carefully and almost never forces a bad shot. Siakam’s numbers confirm he was genuinely excellent — Indiana simply did not have enough around him to sustain it over four games.

The Matchups That Shaped the Series

Brunson against Nembhard The point guard duel ran through every game. There was no stopping Brunson’s constant scoring, but Nembhard’s defensive pressure caused serious issues. It is noteworthy to force a player of Brunson’s caliber to turn over at his highest rate of the season against any opponent, which explains why Indiana managed to stay close throughout games. where New York’s overall performance was superior.

Towns opposing Turner This conflict took place both on and off the ball. Every time Towns set up behind the arc and caught a pass, Turner had to decide whether to close out and leave the paint exposed or sag and invite a high-percentage jump shot. There was no perfect answer. Throughout the series, Towns took advantage of this situation, and everyone in New York’s offense profited from the space he created downstream.

Anunoby against Siakam Two forward players with similar athletic profiles competing on both ends for four games. Siakam’s scoring numbers were higher. Anunoby’s defensive pressure in Game 3 was the more influential factor in determining a series result. The matchup was as close as any in the series, and whoever won it on a given night usually helped their team win the game.

Three Factors That Decided the Series

Rebounding consistency. The Knicks did not have one great rebounding game — they had four of them. That means extra possessions, second-chance opportunities, and fewer long Indiana transition opportunities coming off missed shots.

Turnovers and their consequences. Indiana committed 13.8 turnovers per game against New York’s 10.5. Across four games, that differential produced approximately 23 additional points for the Knicks. In a series decided by 13 total points, those giveaway-driven baskets were the margin of victory.

Bench depth over four games. Indiana’s starters competed. Indiana’s reserves did not match New York’s second unit across any of the four nights. A 38-point total gap in bench scoring across the series means Indiana’s primary players were doing more work late in games — and the fatigue that creates matters in fourth-quarter moments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who scored the most points for the Knicks against Indiana in 2025–26?

Jalen Brunson led New York with 29.0 points per game throughout the series. He also produced the highest single-game scoring total of any player in the four games with 40 points in the February overtime contest.

Which Indiana player performed best in this series?

Pascal Siakam was Indiana’s standout performer, averaging 24.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 49 percent from the floor. His Game 2 performance of 30 points was central to Indiana’s only series win.

How many lead changes were there in Game 2?

The February 10 overtime game at Madison Square Garden produced 39 lead changes across regulation and overtime — a figure that ranked among the highest for any individual NBA game during the 2025–26 season.

Which player recorded a double-double in every series game?

Karl-Anthony Towns finished with a double-double in each of the four meetings, averaging 19.3 points and 13.0 rebounds and establishing himself as the most consistently productive big man in the series.

What drove the Game 4 blowout?

In the last game, Indiana made 18 turnovers, which directly led to 23 points for New York. Combined with a 13-rebound deficit on the glass, the Pacers never had enough clean possessions to stay competitive.

How large was New York’s bench advantage?

The Knicks outscored Indiana’s reserve players 131–93 across the four games — a 38-point total series gap. This depth paid off in the fourth quarter by giving New York’s starters extra time to recuperate while leads held. stretches throughout.

Final Thought

This season series was won by New York because to habits rather than superior talent. These two rosters are more evenly matched than the final standings suggest. Indiana can beat the Knicks — Game 2 proved that conclusively. What the Pacers could not do consistently was rebound at the same rate, protect the ball under pressure, or match New York’s second unit across all four nights simultaneously.

The Knicks vs Pacers player stats from 2025–26 leave a clear blueprint for both organizations. Indiana needs more from its bench and fewer careless turnovers in half-court sets. New York needs to solve the Towns foul situation that cost them Game 2. Both teams are good enough that small corrections could flip the series result entirely.

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