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Rick Carlisle liked what he saw from both Aaron Nesmith and Quenton Jackson.
The Indiana Pacers have taken it on the chin for much of this year, but Aaron Nesmith keeps getting up for more.
So even while battling a back injury that caused him to briefly exit Tuesday night’s overtime epic against the New York Knicks, Nesmith rose to the occasion, much to the appreciation of coach Rick Carlisle.
Nesmith scored 11 points and had eight rebounds while helping the Pacers snap a four-game losing streak and score just their fourth road win all year, 137-134 over the Knicks.
Nesmith was one of eight Pacers players to score in double figures, and he shared the team-high 37 minutes with Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard.
Rick Carlisle: Aaron Nesmith is Battling a Back Injury
The Pacers have one more game before this weekend’s All-Star break in Los Angeles, on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets, and Carlisle is only sure of one thing.
“Aaron’s banged up. His back tightened up,” Carlisle said. “He’s getting acupuncture right now. He banged knees, so I’m sure he’ll be on the injury report tomorrow.”
Nesmith was on the Pacers injury report before the game at MSG due to a left-hand strain that left him questionable. It would have been easy for him to sit with just two games before the break in a season that has been lost since Indiana’s 1-13 start.
Yet, not only did Nesmith play, but he was a key. He pair of clutch shots that gave Indiana a three-point lead with 3:08 left in regulation.
Even after the Knicks rallied to force overtime — Nesmith’s foul on Karl-Anthony Towns with 0.2 seconds in regulation allowed the Knicks center to hit a pair of free throws that forced OT — Nesmith was huge in the extra session by grabbing three rebounds and blocking a shot.
Nesmith and the rest of the team’s efforts were greatly appreciated by their coach.
“This was a really important game for us with the season that we’ve had,” Carlisle said. “This environment, the opponent, our guys just had a great collective spirit and collective will tonight.”
Rick Carlisle Singled Out Quenton Jackson’s Contributions in Overtime
Like Nesmith, Quenton Jackson was also on the Pacers’ pregame injury report, yet for a different reason.
Jackson was listed as questionable due to his two-way contract status. He had played just 18 minutes over Indiana’s past eight games, even though he scored 24 points in just 17 minutes in his most recent game, a 131-122 loss to the Utah Jazz on Feb. 3.
A week later while playing in his 25th game, Jackson erupted for 19 points, including seven in overtime of Indiana’s win Tuesday. He made 4 of 6 3-pointers and added six rebounds and three assists.
“He’s played well all year,” Carlisle said. “He’s been in every different role you can be in. He’s been a third-stringer. He’s been a G-Leaguer on a two-way [contract]. He’s been a starter. … He’s been great.”
With second-year guard Johnny Furphy out for the year with a torn ACL — which he sustained in Toronto on Sunday — Jackson got the start Tuesday and made the most of it. He played 29 minutes and had one steal, one block, two offensive rebounds and did not miss a shot in overtime.
Between Furphy’s injury, and of course the Achilles injury to superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton that will keep him out until the start of the 2026-27 season, there are valuable minutes for Jackson to accrue this year and help him get better.
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
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