Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith had a historic fourth quarter performance to help complete a 17-point comeback

To start the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, the Pacers were down 90-87 to the Knicks. With 6:46 left in the game, that lead ballooned to 17 points for New York.

However, the Pacers kept chipping away at the lead and never gave up. Tyrese Haliburton hit a miraculous step-back jumper to force OT in Game 1. The Pacers won 138-135 in OT. Small forward Aaron Nesmith had the best offensive performance of his postseason career. That included a historic fourth quarter in which he scored 20 points for the Pacers. Nesmith was clutch for Indiana when they needed a bucket late in Game 1.

Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high  30 points in a playoff game

WHAT A NIGHT FOR AARON NESMITH ‼️

🎯 30 PTS (20 in 4Q)
🎯 8 3PM (6 in 4Q)
🎯 2 BLK

At his best when the lights were brightest 😤 pic.twitter.com/cbX3q8Ned2

— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2025

In the 2020 NBA draft, Aaron Nesmith was the 14th overall pick by the Celtics out of Vanderbilt. He played two seasons for Boston before they traded him to the Pacers. Nesmith has been with Indiana for three seasons. Early in 2024-25, the former first-round pick suffered an ankle injury and missed 35 consecutive games. Since then, Nesmith has fully recovered and is a difference-maker for the Pacers in the postseason.

Against the Knicks in the ECF of Game 1, Nesmith was 3-5 shooting for 10 points through three quarters. However, the 25-year-old hit another level in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. Twenty of his 30 points in Game 1 came in the fourth quarter. Nesmith was 6-7 from beyond the arc and hit two timely three-pointers for the Pacers. With 34 seconds left, Nemsith nailed back-to-back threes and made it a one-possession game.

Tyrese Haliburton’s step-back jumper will make the headlines, but the team needed every bucket from Aaron Nesmith in the fourth quarter. He was clutch for the Pacers in Game 1 and made the shots when they mattered the most. Nesmith’s teammates had nothing but praise for the young SF after Indiana’s 138-135 OT win. This is the third straight playoff series the Pacers have taken Game 1; twice, they have been on the road. Aaron Nesmith is the first player with six three-pointers in the fourth quarter of an NBA playoff game.