Pacers set losing streak record for second time, dropping 14th straight vs Knicks

Swingman Josh Hart scored 33 points on 12 of 13 shooting and posted seven rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead the Knicks to a 136-110 win over the Pacers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, handing the Pacers their franchise-record 14th consecutive defeat. They had set the record with a 13-game losing streak earlier this season.

The Pacers, playing without All-Star forward Pascal Siakam and starting point guard Andrew Nembhard -- fell to 15-54 and have the worst record in the NBA. The Knicks, playing without All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson improved to 45-25 and sit in third in the Eastern Conference.

Forward and former Indiana University star O.G Anunoby posted 26 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Center Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Jose Alvarado had 16 points and 10 assists. Forward Jarace Walker led the Pacers with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Forward Obi Toppin had 15 points. Forward Aaron Nesmith had 14 points with four 3-pointers. Forward Kobe Brown had 13 points and point guard T.J. McConnell had 10 points and 10 assists.

Here are three observations.

Pacers match Knicks shot-for-shot until the fourth

Madison Square Garden has been one of the Pacers' favorite venues in which to shoot for the last three seasons, going back to Game 7 of the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals when they set a playoff record by shooting 67.1% from the floor in a 130-109 win. They were feeling it most of the night Tuesday, but there were two problems. 1) The Pacers cooled in the fourth and 2) The Knicks were feeling it too.

The Pacers shot 70% from the floor in the first quarter (14 of 20) including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. By halftime they were still at 63.4% (26 of 41) including 11 of 18 from beyond the arc (61.1%). Even through three quarters they were still shooting 61.3% from the floor and had 14 3-pointers on 27 attempts, still better than 50%.

But in the fourth quarter they made 2 of their first 14 field goal attempts and 4 of their first 19, finishing 6 of 23 in the period and 44 of 85 for the game (51.8%). They made 17 3-pointers on 38 attempts for the game, a healthy 44.7%, but they were just 6 of 20 from the arc after the break. They also turned the ball over 18 times, allowing the Knicks to turn those turnovers into 23 points, so their 1.12 points per 100 possessions were a lower figure than you might expect for a team shooting better than 50%.

Meanwhile, the Knicks never really cooled as they scored more than 30 points in all four quarters. They shot 50% from the floor and made 18 of 41 3-pointers, but also recorded 13 steals and 19 offensive rebounds to the Pacers' seven steals and eight offensive rebounds, so they ended up with 15 more field goal attempts than the Pacers and ended up with a gaudy 1.42 points per possession. Even without Brunson the Knicks still had six scorers in double figures with Hart, Towns and Anunoby all over 20 points.

Josh Hart too much to contain

Josh Hart, the Knicks do-everything wing, provided more than enough production for the Knicks to survive without Brunson. He started hot with nine points on 4 of 4 shooting, but he really got rolling right before halftime when he drilled two corner 3-pointers to turn a two-point Knicks lead into a 72-64 advantage, finishing off what was a 21-7 run in the half's last five minutes and a 15-2 run in the last 3:11.

Hart hit another 3 to start the second half and just kept rolling. He finished with 33 points on 12 of 13 from the field including 5 of 5 from 3-point range and he also hit 4 of 5 free throws. His seven rebounds included three on the offensive end and he dished out five assists against two turnovers while also recording a pair of steals. The Knicks were +18 in his 26 minutes and that was enough to turn the game into a rout.

Aaron Nesmith keeps cooking

At the end of a very choppy season that has included an array of injuries and role shifts, Aaron Nesmith is getting a lot of chances to shoot, especially with Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam out the last two games. He's finding more of a rhythm than he's had all year.

Nesmith scored a career-high 32 points in Sunday's loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee and he kept cooking on Tuesday with 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting. He was 4 of 6 from 3-point range after making 7 of 10 on Sunday, returning to form in a place where he had the biggest highlight of his career in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season. It was his fourth straight game in double figures after failing to score in double figures in each of the four prior games.

Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Knicks: Indiana loses team-record 14th straight, 136-110