By Chris Robinson

It was a wild scene on Wednesday night in New York, as the rallying Indiana Pacers handed the hometown Knicks a devastating 138-135 defeat in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Madison Square Garden was electric throughout, and the Knicks led by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter and still held a 14-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining.

However, the Pacers were undaunted as they staged a miraculous comeback, fueled largely by Aaron Nesmith’s six three-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation to close the gap.

With 7.3 seconds left, Tyrese Haliburton hit a dramatic buzzer-beater that bounced high off the rim before falling in, tying the game and sending it to overtime. 

In overtime, the Pacers outscored the Knicks 13-10, with Andrew Nembhard and others making key plays to seal the 138-135 victory. 

The Knicks, despite strong performances from Jalen Brunson (43 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (35 points, 12 rebounds), faltered in the final minutes and in overtime.

Game two will take place on Friday night, again inside of Madison Square Garden.

Chris Robinson can be reached at crobinson@hustleboss.com