The Garden was shaking. You could feel it through the floorboards—that specific, desperate hum of a New York crowd that knows they’re watching something special. But by the time the fourth quarter of Game 7 rolled around in May 2024, that hum had turned into a hollow silence. The pacers knicks final scores tell a story of a series that was supposed to be a gritty, seven-game bloodbath but ended in a historic shooting clinic that left the Knicks' "Nova" era questioning everything.
It was a blowout. 130-109.
Honestly, the score doesn't even do it justice. The Indiana Pacers didn't just win; they essentially broke the physics of basketball for 48 minutes. They shot 67.1% from the field. That is the highest shooting percentage in any playoff game in NBA history. Not just Game 7s. Any game. To do that in Madison Square Garden, with the ghosts of Reggie Miller and Spike Lee hovering over the court, felt like a glitch in the simulation.
Why the 2024 Pacers Knicks Final Scores Still Matter
People keep looking at the scores from that May series and trying to find the "turning point." Was it the Game 1 controversy? Was it the Jalen Brunson hand injury? Or was it just the sheer depth of a Pacers team that refused to slow down?
If you look back at the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the scores fluctuated wildly.
- Game 1: Knicks 121, Pacers 117 (The Brunson 43-point masterpiece)
- Game 2: Knicks 130, Pacers 121 (The "Don't count out DiVincenzo" game)
- Game 3: Pacers 111, Knicks 106 (Indiana finally protects home court)
- Game 4: Pacers 121, Knicks 89 (The first sign of the Knicks' fatigue)
- Game 5: Knicks 121, Pacers 91 (New York's last stand)
- Game 6: Pacers 116, Knicks 103 (The momentum shift)
- Game 7: Pacers 130, Knicks 109 (The historic finale)
Think about that Game 7 for a second. The Pacers hit 29 of their first 38 shots. That’s 76.3% in the first half. Tyrese Haliburton was out there playing like he was in a driveway with no defenders. He finished with 26 points, while Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam both chipped in 20. On the other side, Jalen Brunson—the man who had basically carried the city on his back—left with a fractured hand. It was a brutal way for a legendary run to end.
💡 You might also like: How to Win Boxing Matches When Everything Goes Wrong
The 2025 Rematch: Different Year, Same Intensity
If you thought the rivalry ended in 2024, you haven't been watching the 2024-2025 season. The teams met again in the Eastern Conference Finals in May 2025, and the pacers knicks final scores from that series were somehow even more chaotic.
Take Game 4 of the 2025 ECF. Indiana won 130-121, fueled by a Tyrese Haliburton triple-double that stat nerds are still dissecting. He put up 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds without a single turnover. Literally zero. That hasn't happened in a playoff game since the NBA started tracking turnovers in 1977.
The Knicks, now featuring Karl-Anthony Towns alongside Brunson, fought back, but Indiana’s pace was just too much. The series ended in six games this time, with the Pacers winning the clincher 125-108 on May 31, 2025. Pascal Siakam took home the Larry Bird Trophy as the ECF MVP, a fitting nod to the Pacers' legendary former coach.
Breaking Down the Head-to-Head Stats
Most fans get caught up in the highlights, but the actual box scores show a weird trend. When the Knicks win, they tend to keep the score in the low 110s. When Indiana wins, it’s a track meet.
In their most recent regular-season meeting on December 18, 2025, the Knicks actually squeezed out a 114-113 victory. It was a classic "Thibs" game—grinding, physical, and decided by a single possession. Brunson had 19, but the Knicks' defense forced 17 turnovers. That's the formula. If the Knicks can’t slow the game down, they lose. If they can turn it into a wrestling match, they have a shot.
The historical context is just as crazy.
- Postseason Record: Indiana leads the playoff series count 30-24.
- The "Knick Killer" Legacy: Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds still haunts the older generation, but Haliburton is quickly becoming the new villain in Midtown.
- Home Court Advantage: It’s almost non-existent lately. Indiana has won several key games at MSG, including that 2024 Game 7 and a wild 138-135 overtime win in Game 1 of the 2025 ECF.
What to Watch For Next
Basically, if you're betting on or just watching these teams, look at the first-quarter pace. In nearly every Indiana victory, they score over 35 points in the first frame. They use that initial burst to deflate the Knicks' defensive energy.
The Knicks have tried to counter this by adding size, but the Pacers' depth—guys like T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin—tends to wear down the Knicks' shorter rotation. It’s a battle of philosophies. Transition vs. Half-court. Flash vs. Grit.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Check the injury report for OG Anunoby; the Knicks' defensive rating drops significantly when he’s off the floor.
- Watch the "points off turnovers" stat. Indiana lives on it.
- Keep an eye on the February 10, 2026, matchup at the Garden; it's the next chapter in what is arguably the best rivalry in the Eastern Conference right now.
To really understand where this is going, stop looking at the highlights and start looking at the shooting splits from the second half of games. That's where the Pacers' conditioning usually takes over. The Knicks are great, but playing 40+ minutes every night under Thibodeau clearly takes a toll by the time the final scores are posted.