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Knicks Notes: Towns, Robinson, Hartenstein, Wright, Anunoby

May 27th, 2025 at 4:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Karl-Anthony Towns rescued the Knicks from the abyss with 20 fourth-quarter points against the Pacers. What will the Knicks get from their top big man the remainder of the Eastern Conference Finals?

The Athletic’s Fred Katz explores that subject as the teams head into Game 4 this evening. He speculates that the Pacers, who have mainly used Myles Turner as the primary defender on Towns, might try a smaller defender in that matchup. Katz notes that the Pistons and Celtics used perimeter players to get under Towns’ skin and force him to take some ill-advised shots.

We have more on the Knicks:

  • Mitchell Robinson was inserted into the starting lineup in Game 3. Despite his free throw issues, Robinson has been a major factor in the postseason after missing a good chunk of the regular season while recovering from ankle surgery. “He’s been very, very impactful for them since he’s been back,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, per Chris Herring of ESPN. “He gives them a lot of versatility, and his ability to switch onto smaller players is special for a guy his size. He’s a major factor, and a guy we’ve been talking about a lot.”
  • Isaiah Hartenstein believes his departure in free agency to the Thunder last season actually benefited the Knicks and Timberwolves as well. “It’s funny when you see all three teams, I think for everyone it was a win-win,” Hartenstein told SNY’s Ian Begley. Hartenstein’s departure and Robinson’s injury convinced the Knicks to roll the dice and trade for Towns. Julius Randle has been inconsistent in the conference finals but excelled during the first two rounds of the playoffs for Minnesota.
  • Coach Tom Thibodeau made a bold substitution in Game 3, deploying little-used guard Delon Wright for his first rotation minutes of the postseason. Though he only had one basket and one assist, Wright played a pivotal defensive role as the Knicks whittled a 13-point deficit down to three before being subbed out. “Just a true professional,” forward Mikal Bridges said, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. “Works hard every single day and got his name called and he’s ready for the moment.”
  • Normally reticent, OG Anunoby displayed his passion and even did a little trash talking in Game 3. They’ll need more fire from Anunoby the remainder of the series, Schwartz opines in a separate story.
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Pacers Notes: Nesmith, Game 3 Loss, Haliburton, Offense

May 26th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith was able to return to Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter after spraining his right ankle in the third quarter, but he was in pain when he woke up on Monday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

According to head coach Rick Carlisle, Nesmith will be listed as questionable on the injury report for Game 4 and will likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday.

It’s a potentially significant development for the Pacers, given that Nesmith has been one of their most important players during the playoffs. The 25-year-old has increased his averages to 15.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game with a 53.5% mark on three-pointers in the postseason — all of those marks would be career highs. Additionally, his +8.8 playoff net rating is the third-best mark on the team behind only Myles Turner (+9.1) and Tyrese Haliburton (+8.9).

We have more on the Pacers:

  • The Pacers have made a series of historic comebacks during these playoffs, but they found themselves on the other end of a major in-game swing at home on Sunday, blowing a 20-point first-half lead and losing Game 3 by a score of 106-100. Haliburton took the blame after the loss for allowing the team’s usual up-tempo pace to lag in the third and fourth quarters, according to Dopirak. “I felt like I was walking the ball up every play.” Haliburton said. “It’s definitely an area where I know when I watch film I’m going to kick myself for. I’m already thinking about it, kicking myself for it. Honestly, I think a lot of our offensive struggles in the second half are going to be due to me. I gotta be better there and I will be better in Game 4.”
  • Although he was unhappy about the Pacers’ second-half offense, Haliburton was pleased with how the team performed on defense against a talented Knicks group, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “You hold a team like that to 106 (points), that’s — you should win that game,” Haliburton said. “… I mean, 100 points isn’t us, you know? So kudos to them, they did a good job, but there’s definitely areas that we can improve on. We’ll have a great film session (on Monday). Guys will watch film on their own tonight and tomorrow, and see where we can get better.”
  • John Haliburton, Tyrese’s father, will be permitted to attend Indiana’s home games in a suite beginning on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania. The elder Haliburton agreed not to attend the team’s home or road games after getting involved in an on-court altercation with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo at the end of their first-round series and hasn’t been at any of the past eight contests since then. He will continue to remain away from road games.
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Pacers Notes: McConnell, Haliburton, Tax, Turner, Bradley, Sheppard

May 25th, 2025 at 5:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

T.J. McConnell continues to be an annoying pest against the Knicks during the postseason. McConnell has scored 10 points in each of the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals despite limited playing time.

“It’s kind of defined T.J.’s 10-year career in the NBA,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, per Peter Botte of the New York Post. “He’s done a great job throughout the playoffs of playing his game and not allowing some difficult situations to deter him from keeping his focus on what he needs to do to help the team. So I thought he was a real key [to the first two games], and we’re gonna need the same effort from everybody when we go home.”

McConnell averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game in last season’s conference semifinals series against New York. Game 3 is tonight.

We have more on the Pacers:

  • Tyrese Haliburton enjoys not only being a team leader and clutch performer but also an agitator, Grant Afseth writes in a column for Ballislife.com. Afseth notes that Haliburton, who was voted in an anonymous players’ poll early this season as the league’s most overrated player, is averaging 25.0 points, 8.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor in closeout games during his career.
  • Indiana’s success has led the team’s ownership group to embrace the possibility of paying luxury taxes, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports. Ownership has indicated a willingness to increase spending next season and potentially pay a luxury tax fee to keep this core together. That’s a signal that the Pacers will do all they can to re-sign big man Myles Turner, who is headed to unrestricted free agency. Internally, they’re hoping to bring back Turner while retaining their impressive depth.
  • Tony Bradley, who logged just 113 total minutes during the regular season, grabbed a couple of crucial rebounds in an eight-minute stint in Game 2. “Tony Bradley hasn’t played in the series, but he’s one of our better rebounders,” Carlisle said “We elected to go with him to spell Myles a little bit. We’re a team that needs everybody. That’s how we’ve got to play.” Indiana holds a $2.94MM club option on Bradley’s contract for next season.
  • Ben Sheppard has played 20 turnover-free minutes in the series. “Another guy who can bring a different dimension,” Carlisle said during Sunday’s pregame press conference, per Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). “He always goes hard … From a game plan standpoint, he always stays with what we’re trying to do.”
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Pacers Notes: Siakam, Turner, Sheppard, Contending

May 24th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Earnest Marshall

Pacers star Pascal Siakam delivered on the biggest stage on Friday night, surging to a playoff career-high 39 points, five rebounds and three assists in a Game 2 win in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Knicks, Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic observes.

“Whatever was out there, I just took it,” Siakam said. “I think what makes us special as a team is just that we have different weapons and we’re not consumed with who’s going to do what. You just go into the game, and however the game presents itself, that’s how we go and take it and do it our way. And it doesn’t matter who scores.”

The Pacers acquired Siakam at last year’s trade deadline, a move that paid immediate dividends with Indiana’s back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances since his arrival.

“That’s why we brought him here. It’s what he’s here to do,” Haliburton said. “He can get a bucket in so many different ways. He started the game high, and we just kept feeding him. I thought he did a great job of making big shot after big shot after big shot, killing momentum.”

We have more from the Pacers:

  • Myles Turner again delivered on the biggest stage, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter and keying the Pacers’ run that pushed them over the top, Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar writes. Dopirak also points out within the same story that Siakam’s Game 2 performance is even more impressive considering he was being primarily guarded by OG Anunoby.
  • Ben Sheppard has been a key reserve for the Pacers in the playoffs. Though he hasn’t played much, coach Rick Carlisle is trusting him to play in big moments and give the starters some rest, Dopirak writes. “He’s a guy that is very dependable,” Carlisle said. “He goes in and you know you’re going to get hard play, running, real effort, attention to detail. He plays with a pace and an energy that’s healthy to our team.“
  • The Pacers continue to prove they belong on this stage, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated writes. “What’s really special about our group is we have so many different people contributing,” Haliburton said. “So many people doing special things.” Indiana is 44-16 since the calendar turned to 2025.
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2024/25 All-NBA Teams Announced

May 23rd, 2025 at 6:09pm CST by Eli Cohen

The 2024/25 All-NBA teams have been officially announced by the league (Twitter link).

A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.

This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

The top four vote-getters, Antetounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, and Tatum, were all unanimous selections to the First Team. James led the Second Team with 17 First Team votes, compared to Mitchell’s 61. Cunningham was the only member of the Third Team to receive First Team votes (six) — he also earned 10 more Second Team votes than the next closest vote-getter, as Towns had 40.

This announcement marks the first All-NBA selections for Cunningham, Mobley, and Williams, and – on the other side of the coin – the 21st consecutive selection for James. No other player in NBA history has been named to more than 15 All-NBA teams.

Curry set a franchise record with his 11th All-NBA selection. Edwards became just the fourth Timberwolves player to be named to multiple All-NBA teams, joining Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, and Towns.

Other players who received votes, along with their respective point totals, were the Rockets‘ Alperen Sengun (58), the Grizzlies‘ Jaren Jackson Jr. (55), the Clippers‘ Ivica Zubac (15), the Cavaliers‘ Darius Garland (6), the Kings‘ Domantas Sabonis (4), the Pacers‘ Pascal Siakam (4), the Heat‘s Bam Adebayo (3), the Hawks‘ Trae Young (3), and the Suns‘ Devin Booker (2).

The Cavs, Knicks, and Thunder were the only teams to feature multiple All-NBA players. Both the Thunder and Knicks are currently playing in the conference finals for a shot at advancing to the NBA finals.

This is the second year that All-NBA teams have been positionless and have required players to meet a 65-game minimum to qualify for consideration.

Several players, starting with Cunningham, gained or lost eligibility for salary increases due to the All-NBA results. We have more details here.

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Central Notes: Haliburton, Nesmith, Giannis, Sasser

May 23rd, 2025 at 11:44am CST by Luke Adams

On the night that he was traded from Sacramento to Indiana in February 2022, Tyrese Haliburton went out for dinner with his new head coach Rick Carlisle, who outlined the Pacers‘ plan to have him run their offense, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Since then, Indiana has made an increased effort to complement Haliburton with players who will fit into his up-tempo playing style, notes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

“As we’ve put this group together around Tyrese, we’ve had to make adjustments to develop a style that was effective for us,” Carlisle said. “It’s a difficult style, you know, it’s demanding, physically demanding, takes a tremendous amount of wherewithal as an athlete and then you got to be super unselfish.”

Nearly two years after acquiring Haliburton, the Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA forward who has a championship on his résumé. But Haliburton is still Indiana’s leader and the player the team trusts to take big shots with the game on the line, as he has done multiple times throughout this postseason.

“My group wants me to take those shots,” Haliburton said, per Collier. “My coaching staff wants me to take those shots. Our organization wants me to take those shots. I think now we’re at the point where our fans want me to take that shot. Everybody’s living and dying with it at that point. That gives me a lot of confidence.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Shakeia Taylor and Jay King of The Athletic spoke to Aaron Nesmith‘s high school coach, John “JP” Pearson, about one of the heroes of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, whose 8-of-9 performance from beyond the arc helped the Pacers steal a win in New York. “I’m over there telling him, ‘I’m not quite sure what I just saw, Aaron,'” Pearson said of a phone call he had with Nesmith late on Wednesday night. “And Aaron was like, ‘Yeah, we won the game.’ And I told him, ‘No, Aaron, I was living when Reggie Miller did all that and it’s being compared right now.’ And he goes, ‘I don’t think I was born.'”
  • While there has been no indication at this point that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo plans to request a trade, multiple agents who spoke to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report at the draft combine think it will happen. With that in mind, Pincus explores the top five most logical landing spots for Antetokounmpo in the event of a deal, identifying San Antonio, Houston, Brooklyn, Atlanta, and Oklahoma City as the best fits.
  • Marcus Sasser saw his minutes cut back in his second NBA season, but that was more about the Pistons‘ increased depth than any sort of decline in the second-year guard’s production, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Detroit will have to make a decision by October 31 on whether to exercise Sasser’s $5.2MM team option for 2026/27. Assuming that option is picked up, he’d become extension-eligible during the 2026 offseason.
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Details On NBA’s Playoff Bonus Money For 2024/25

May 23rd, 2025 at 9:14am CST by Luke Adams

The pool of bonus money for NBA playoff teams this season is worth approximately $34.7MM, according to Kurt Badenhausen and Lev Akabas of Sportico.

The top six teams in each conference earn bonuses based on their regular season records, while the 16 playoff teams also receive a chunk of money from the playoff pool, increasing the value of their payout with each series win. That bonus money is divvied up among the players on each club’s 15-man roster.

Teams eliminated in the play-in tournament aren’t entitled to any of the playoff bonus money, even if they had the seventh- or eighth-best regular season record in their conference.

The breakdown for 2025’s playoff pool money is as follows (rounded to the nearest thousand), per Sportico:

Regular season achievements:

  • Best record in NBA (Thunder): $869K
  • No. 1 seeds in each conference (Cavaliers, Thunder): $761K per team
  • No. 2 seeds (Celtics, Rockets): $609K per team
  • No. 3 seeds (Knicks, Lakers): $456K per team
  • No. 4 seeds (Pacers, Nuggets): $372K per team
  • No. 5 seeds (Bucks, Clippers): $288K per team
  • No. 6 seeds (Pistons, Timberwolves): $204K per team

Postseason achievements:

  • Teams participating in first round (all 16 playoff teams — the 12 listed above, plus the Magic, Heat, Warriors, and Grizzlies): $466K per team
  • Teams participating in conference semifinals (eight teams): $568K per team
  • Teams participating in conference finals (four teams): $951K per team
  • Losing team in NBA Finals: $3,803,000
  • Winning team in NBA Finals: $8,805,000

A team that makes a deep playoff run will cash in on more than one of the bonuses listed above.

For example, if the Thunder win the championship, their payout from the playoff pool would be worth more than $12.4MM in total — that amount would include their bonuses for posting the NBA’s best record, claiming the West’s No. 1 seed, making the first round, making the conference semifinals, making the conference finals, and winning the NBA Finals.

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Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Nesmith, Comebacks

May 22nd, 2025 at 8:23pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton reenacted Reggie Miller‘s infamous “choke” gesture when his high-bouncing jump shot tied Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the end of regulation, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Haliburton thought he had won the game, but his foot was on the three-point line with Indiana down two points. The Pacers ultimately completed their historic comeback in overtime.

Haliburton said he has watched the “Winning Time” documentary featuring Miller and film director and Knicks fan Spike Lee “probably 50 times” growing up. Miller was courtside for Game 1 as an analyst for TNT.

“That’s just a historic moment,” Haliburton said after the game. “Obviously him versus Spike, kind of the one-on-one. I felt like [my gesture] was kind of to everybody. But to [Miller], too. I wanted him to see it more than anything.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

  • Head coach Rick Carlisle had no issue with Haliburton’s celebration, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link). “Players can do what they want. It’s an emotional thing. It’s not a big deal,” Carlisle said. “… Tyrese has earned the right to do whatever he wants.”
  • Although Haliburton was the one who made the gesture, forward Aaron Nesmith was the Pacer who best embodied Miller’s past heroics during the furious late-game rally, as Jared Schwartz of The New York Post relays. Nesmith scored 20 of his 30 points in the last five minutes of regulation, going 6-of-6 from long distance and making both of his free throws. “It’s unreal, it’s probably the best feeling in the world,” Nesmith said. “I love it, when that basket feels like an ocean, anything you toss up, it feels like it’s gonna go in. It’s just so much fun. Didn’t really realize what I was doing in the moment. Just trying to win a basketball game.”
  • Comebacks have been a hallmark of the Pacers’ 2025 playoff run, according to Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic, who takes a closer look at how Indiana has clawed its way back into multiple games that seemed out of reach. The Pacers have now won three games this postseason when trailing by seven or more points in the final minute of regulation or overtime, something only one other team has accomplished since 1998 in a huge sample size (4-1,640). “We’ve had a lot of these games this year,” Carlisle said. “We’ve probably had a dozen of them throughout the season. A lot of the games early, where we were struggling, were games we had to pull out … it’s a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. It’s not easy. It’s not easy.“
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Knicks Notes: Game 1, Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, Lineup

May 22nd, 2025 at 7:22pm CST by Rory Maher

New York fans were stunned to silence following the Knicks‘ late-game collapse in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. It was a historic loss: the Knicks were up 14 points with 2:51 remaining, and NBA playoff teams were 977-0 in those situations since 1997. They also led by nine with a minute left — no postseason team had lost a game in that position since 1998 (1,414-0). Now there’s a one on both of those tallies.

“We didn’t do what we needed to do; otherwise, we’d be in here talking about a whole different ballgame,” center Karl-Anthony Towns said after Wednesday’s game. “There’s a lot of things we did good, to put ourselves in the position to win. It’s just about … and I’ve said this multiple times, executing and discipline for 48 minutes.

“We played 46 good minutes. Those last two minutes is where we lost the game. That’s on all of us.”

As Chris Herring of ESPN.com writes, the Pacers and Knicks had both completed multiple double-digit playoff comebacks on their way to the conference final matchup. But Game 1 — which New York lost in overtime after a series of miscues — had the Knicks in the unenviable position of blowing the lead.

“Defensively, we let off the gas. The intensity and physicality weren’t there,” wing Josh Hart said. “Offensively, we were playing slower, and more stagnant. It looked like we were playing not to lose.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • While Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson finished with a game-high 43 points, he also committed seven turnovers, including three late in the game, notes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “Obviously, it’s not a good feeling, but there is a lot of basketball left to be played,” Brunson said, per Edwards. “We can’t sulk. We just got to get better.”
  • ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne takes a look at what New York’s collapse means for the series — and for the team’s title chances. Brunson said he thought the momentum of Game 1 shifted with 4:45 remaining in the fourth quarter when he stumbled trying to get around a screen, leaving Aaron Nesmith open for a three-pointer. Nesmith went 6-of-6 on triples in the final 4:45 of regulation, including three in the final minute. “Once he hits one, you’ve got to be on high alert,” Brunson said. “I’ve got to do a better job of finding him. I think he had like one or two with me in the vicinity.”
  • Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) hands out grades for Game 1, with Brunson receiving a B-plus and Towns, who finished with 35 points and 12 rebounds but missed a key free throw late in regulation, getting a B-minus. Mikal Bridges, who had 16 points on 16 shots and was a game-worst minus-15 in the three-point loss while being the primary defender on Tyrese Haliburton (31 points, 11 assists), got a D from Bondy.
  • Towns and OG Anunoby appeared to get in a heated sideline argument with 34 seconds left in regulation, as Jaclyn Hendricks of The New York Post relays. Nesmith had just converted his fifth three-pointer of the quarter leading up to the incident.
  • Could the Knicks alter their starting or closing lineup for Game 2? Head coach Tom Thibodeau said “everything is always on the table” when asked about that possibility on Thursday, according to Begley, who points out (via Twitter) that the starting unit of Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, Anunoby and Towns has a poor net rating in the playoffs.
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Pacers Notes: Nesmith, Haliburton, Carlisle, EC Finals

May 21st, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith could be a decisive X-factor in a second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance for Indiana, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Nesmith has thrived as a three-and-D role player across his past two seasons. In 2024/25, the 25-year-old’s shooting efficiency reached new heights as he he qualified for the league’s “50-40-90” club. The Vanderbilt alum converted 50.7% of his field goals, 41.3% of his three-pointers, and 91.7% of his free throws.

Across his first 10 playoff contests this spring, Nesmith has logged a 67.2% true shooting percentage and a 17.3 PER. What makes his offensive contributions all the more valuable is that he’s also bringing it on the other end of the hardwood, often defending the opposition’s best player. During Indiana’s five-game second round series victory over Cleveland, he frequently covered six-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. Hollinger expects Nesmith to defend All-Stars Jalen Brunson, a guard, or Karl-Anthony Towns, a center.

“It really was just finding my role here,” Nesmith said. “Energy, effort, defense, making open shots, that’s what we needed from me in order to win games. Every year, I’ve just gotten a little better at the little things.”

Hollinger believes Nesmith is in line for a massive new contract when his current deal expires in 2027. At present, the 6’5″ pro is making $11MM annually.

There’s more out of Indiana:

  • Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton is embracing his role as a foil for New York in the team’s impending Conference Finals series, a rematch of last year’s second round clash, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Indiana won that series in seven games, as the Knicks were affected by injuries to critical rotation players. “For sure, it’s a lot of fun, man,” Haliburton said. “I think last year the series was a lot of fun, back and forth, it felt like nobody could win two in a row until we were able to do it [in Games 6 and 7].” In last year’s series, the 2024 All-NBA honoree notched averages 21.3 PPG and 7.0 APG.
  • Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has quietly made the club one of the league’s top offenses across the past two seasons. Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link) unpacks how Carlisle went about defining Indiana’s unique offensive identity. Although Carlisle does have a playbook with set plays, the team generally leans on a somewhat improvisational flow, predicated on a motion system. Indiana’s 123.3 points per game in 2023/24 was the sixth-best scoring rate in NBA history, while their 117.4 points per game this year was a bit more pedestrian, ranking seventh in the league this season. “He trusts the offense and us,” Aaron Nesmith said of Carlisle’ approach. “We have such great offensive players on our team I think we just are able to read the game. We’re pretty friendly off the court and it translates on the court as well.”
  • The Pacers are hardly satisfied with their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance in as many seasons, writes Dopirak in another piece. “It feels good but I think we’re greedy at the end of the day,” forward Pascal Siakam said. “We feel like we’ve been here before. Last year, we could’ve been like, ‘Man, this is the first time in a while.’ (Now) we’ve just been here last year. For us, that focus has to shift. We have to be wanting more.”
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