The Pacers pulled off the impossible in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, overcoming a huge lead late to steal the first win of the series on the New York floor.
Tyrese Haliburton delivered the eventual kill shot to the Knicks, a sky-scraping three-pointer sending the game to overtime, and eventually to a Pacers victory.
But it was Aaron Nesmith who was the architect of the comeback, making NBA history with a fourth-quarter for the ages to move his team one win closer to a maiden championship.
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Aaron Nesmith's historic fourth quarter sparks Pacers miracle comeback
Aaron Nesmith has been on fire throughout the NBA playoffs, and on Thursday he delivered his masterpiece, a historic shooting night to propel Indiana to a miracle victory.
WHAT A NIGHT FOR AARON NESMITH ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2025
🎯 30 PTS (20 in 4Q)
🎯 8 3PM (6 in 4Q)
🎯 2 BLK
At his best when the lights were brightest 😤 pic.twitter.com/cbX3q8Ned2
The Pacers guard made six three-pointers in the fourth quarter of the game, becoming the only player to hit this mark in history, and just the seventh to make that many in any playoff quarter.
The six triples, plus a pair of free-throws, all came within the final five minutes of the game for Nesmith, a 20 point surge that allowed his team to claim arguably the most improbable victory in franchise history.
Down 14 with 2:45 remaining in the game, NBA teams all-time in the playoffs were 0-994 to this point, but the play of Nesmith and then Haliburton helped the Pacers secure a miracle win.
Nesmith finished the game with 30 total points, shooting 8-9 from three-point range and added two blocks and a steal, securing some key stops on Jalen Brunson on the defensive end.
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