INDIANAPOLIS — It took a while but the Knicks recovered from their NBA Cup hangover. 

The cure was — who else? — Captain Clutch. 

After struggling for much of the fourth quarter with his shots falling short, Brunson hit the biggest one of Thursday’s 114-113 victory over the Pacers when he nailed a trey over Andrew Nembhard. 

It gave the Knicks a one-point lead — their first advantage of the final seven minutes — and OG Anunoby sealed New York’s win with his steal off Indiana’s subsequent inbounds pass. 

Jalen Brunson attempts a shot during the Knicks’ Dec. 18 win over the Pacers. Imagn Images

Not counting the NBA Cup final victory (which doesn’t apply toward the regular-season record), the Knicks (19-7) have won six straight and 10 of their last 11. 

But Thursday night was an uphill battle from the moment they landed in Indy. 

The Knicks were fresh off their celebration and feeling penalized by the league for making the final, forced into Thursday’s front end of a back-to-back right after grinding out two games in Vegas. 

The Pacers, meanwhile, hadn’t played since a home game Sunday. 

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a shot in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 18, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Getty Images

“Somehow, someway, they have to look at the back end of the schedule for anybody who is in the final game,” Brown said. “Because it’s almost like you get penalized for winning it, schedule-wise. We’ve talked about it all year how the games are so close now. But you get penalized for winning the Cup.” 

As a result, the Knicks rested three important players — Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson — and patched together a first-time starting lineup featuring Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti. 

That group didn’t look ready. 

Anunoby fell into quick foul trouble and the Knicks trailed by 16 points in the opening quarter. Diawara, the second-round rookie, was jumpy. Pacôme Dadiet and Guerschon Yabusele struggled coming off the bench. 

But the Pacers (6-21) are very forgiving this season and the Knicks cut the deficit to three by halftime and kept it close enough for Brunson to turn into the hero again. The point guard finished with 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting with seven assists, not the best performance from him. 

But when he caught the inbounds pass in the final five seconds, created enough space with his step-back dribble, there was little doubt about the shot going in. The Indiana crowd was deflated. 

After losing Tyrese Haliburton for the season with an Achilles tear, the Pacers are near the bottom of the standings and appear content with playing out the string into the draft lottery. 

It’s a much different dynamic than the last two seasons when the Pacers twice eliminated the Knicks in the playoffs. They went from title contenders to lottery-bound, while the Knicks are targeting the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. 

“They’re a great team,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said of the Knicks. “They were a great team last year. I think this is one of the most compelling seasons that I’ve seen. There’s more than just a small handful of teams that could win it. There are five, six — I don’t know, it’s hard to say. No one would have predicted our run last year. You’ve got to get on a roll at the right time and health is a major part of it. I like the Knicks’ chances very much.” 

Still, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the site of the Knicks’ Game 6 elimination in May, has been a house of horrors for the Knicks lately. They’re now 2-8 at the Indy arena the last three seasons, counting the playoffs. 

Before the game, Brown said he’d try to keep minutes low after extending them in the NBA Cup. Brunson logged 34. Bridges had 37 minutes with 22 points and eight rebounds. Anunoby finished with 34 minutes, 16 points and a big steal to follow up Brunson’s game-winning trey. 

OG Anunoby attempts a shot during the Knicks’ Dec. 18 win over the Pacers. Getty Images

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“During that (NBA Cup) run, this what I’ll do come playoff time — the little minutes sheet that I put together, even though I don’t follow it, everybody’s minutes are increased because you’re going after something. Now we’re back to our regular-season games,” Brown said. “Minutes will go down to what I think they should average out for the regular season. I’m going to go back to watching guys’ minutes more carefully, which is going to give other guys an opportunity and hopefully, at the end of the day, our guys will get their minutes back to where they need to be come the end of the regular season so going into the playoffs they at least didn’t get their bodies beat up.”