INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is “likely a game-time decision” for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Knicks on Tuesday after spraining his right ankle during New York’s comeback victory in Game 3 on Sunday night.
“Aaron is sore today — predictably,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said during his Monday media availability at the team’s practice facility. “He will be likely a game-time decision. Probably be listed as questionable.”
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Nesmith suffered the injury midway through the third quarter, when he drove along the baseline past Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns, leaped under the basket and tried to make a pass to teammate Andrew Nembhard in the opposite corner around Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and came down awkwardly:
Nesmith immediately grabbed for his right ankle with both hands before bringing up his left to cover his face. He stayed on the court for a few moments in evident pain before being helped to his feet by his teammates, limping directly to the sideline and back to the Pacers bench, where two team staffers helped him hobble back to the locker room.
Indiana led 70-57 when Nesmith checked out with 6:06 to go in the third quarter; he’d return to the bench with just over a minute and a half to go in the frame. With a red-hot Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way, the Knicks outscored the Pacers 32-18 between Nesmith first heading back to the training room for evaluation and treatment and when Nesmith checked back into the game at the 7:03 mark of the fourth, with New York holding an 89-88 lead.
Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith is assisted off the court during the second half of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks on Sunday, May 25, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
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“He was doing things in the hallway to get moving again,” Carlisle said after Game 3. “And then I got the word that he was good to go back in, that he was moving without limitation at that point in time. So, rather than wait, I decided the best thing to do was get him back in there so that he didn’t stiffen up any more. Down the stretch, he seemed to move OK to me, just from the eye test standing there. But I haven’t studied the film yet, and obviously, we’ll know more tomorrow.”
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Nesmith missed all three shots he took after returning to the game, fouled Mikal Bridges on the perimeter leading to a pair of free throws and found himself on the business end of a runner in the paint by Brunson with 1:21 to go that would wind up being the game-winner:
If Nesmith is ruled out, or if he’s able to go but has limited mobility, it would deal a significant blow to a Pacers team that has defended at a top-10 level since early December, thanks partly to the 6-foot-6, 215-pound swingman’s ability to provide physical, disciplined, high-motor coverage of opponents’ top scorers.
Nesmith’s defensive value has been particularly pronounced in these conference finals, where the bigger, longer, stronger Nesmith has been far and away Indiana’s most successful option at limiting Brunson. After a subpar Game 3 that saw him shoot just 6-for-18 from the floor with a single assist against three turnovers, you’d expect Brunson to come out aggressive looking for a bounce-back performance in Tuesday’s Game 4; the odds of him finding it likely increase if Nesmith’s not there to battle him on and off the ball.
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The impact would be felt on the other end of the court, too. Even aside from the flame-throwing fourth-quarter heroics that helped the Pacers pull off their unbelievable Game 1 heist, Nesmith has been a vital complementary offensive piece for Indiana all season, putting up sparkling 51/43/91 shooting splits during the regular season — 52/54/88 in the playoffs — as a credible threat to drill shots off the catch or on the move. If he’s unable to go, Carlisle would likely have to extend the minutes of reserve Ben Sheppard, who’s played very well in this series, and potentially turn back to third-year wing Bennedict Mathurin, who hasn’t.
“Obviously, it’s not ideal,” All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton said after the game. “He’s been such a big part of what we do, and he is such a big part of what we do.”
