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

The cure was – who else? – Jalen Brunson.

With his shots falling short for much of the fourth quarter, Captain Clutch hit the biggest one of Thursday’s 114-113 victory over Pacers, a stepback trey he nailed over Andrew Nembhard that was executed with confidence out of a timeout.

A lot of confidence. Brunson called his shot.  

“Our MVP, the league’s MVP, Jalen Brunson,” Mike Brown declared in his postgame press conference. “We call timeout, took another timeout, drew up another play. As Jalen’s walking out on the floor Jalen turns to me, he says, ‘I’m getting this win. I’m going for it.’ 

“I said, ‘you do you. That’s who you are. You do you.’ He went out and he came through. That’s what real MVPs do. I’m glad I’m part of his team.”

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

The swish 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 possession. 

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. 

Still, 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 be right after grinding out two games in Vegas. 

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

“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.”

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

As a result, the Knicks rested three important players – Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, 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. Pacome 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 3 by halftime and kept it close enough for Brunson to transform into the hero again.

The Knicks were also boosted by big bench minutes from Tyler Kolek, who is experiencing a breakthrough week following his NBA Cup emergence.

“The way our bench came in was phenomenal,” Brunson said. “They gave us an opportunity to win. So it’s much credit to them. Kept fighting and kept cutting into the lead. And even when we were trailing 109-102, we still had a fighting mindset. Just happy we stayed with it. It was ugly but I’m happy we stayed with it.” 

Brunson finished with 25 points on 10 of 23 shooting with seven assists, hardly his best performance.

But when he caught the inbounds pass in those final five seconds, he created enough space with that familiar stepback dribble. And there was little doubt about the shot going in. The Indiana crowd was deflated as soon as it left Brunson’s fingers.

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

“I work at it and it’s a shot I’m comfortable taking and just happy it went in that time,” Brunson said.

 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. 

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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 since 1999. 

And as long as the game is close, the Knicks always have a chance with Brunson.

“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.”