Quenton Jackson sparks overtime burst as Pacers outlast Knicks
Quenton Jackson scored seven points in overtime Tuesday night for the visiting Indiana Pacers, who outlasted the New York Knicks 137-134 in a back-and-forth clash between the Eastern Conference rivals.
The two teams combined for 39 lead changes, the most in the NBA this season.
Jackson opened overtime with a driving layup to put the Pacers ahead for good at 126-124 and spark a 9-0 run for Indiana, which opened another nine-point lead at 135-126 before surviving a furious rally in the final 20 seconds by the Knicks.
Jalen Brunson and Landry Shamet combined for eight straight points before Jackson sank two free throws with four seconds remaining. Shamet was fouled by Aaron Nesmith with one second left but missed both free throws.
Jackson finished with 19 points and was one of eight players to score in double figures for the Pacers, who snapped a four-game losing streak as they improved their Eastern Conference-worst record to 14-40. Indiana is 4-22 on the road.
Andrew Nembhard (24 points, 10 assists) posted a double-double while Pascal Siakam had a team-high 30 points. Nesmith had 11 points and Micah Potter scored 10 points while T.J. McConnell (13 points), Jay Huff (10 points) and Ben Sheppard (10 points) all got into double figures off the bench.
Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 40 points while Josh Hart (15 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded a triple-double for the Knicks, who have lost two of three following an eight-game winning streak.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who forced overtime by draining two free throws with 0.2 seconds left, had 22 points and 14 rebounds but fouled out when he was called for a moving screen on Jackson with 2:14 left in OT.
Mikal Bridges had 22 points while Shamet added 17.
The teams combined to shoot 53.5% (23-for-43) in the fourth quarter and were never separated by more than four points. The Pacers didn't trail after Nesmith's jumper with 3:38 remaining, which put them ahead 115-114.
Siakam had a chance to give Indiana a three-point lead with five seconds left but missed one of his free throws. Shamet missed an open 3-pointer before Towns was fouled on the rebound by Nesmith.