Both the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks arrive at Gainbridge Fieldhouse still searching for their first NBA Cup group-stage victory, but the stakes stretch well beyond the in-season competition. This is the latest chapter in one of the Eastern Conference’s most bitter rivalries, and the contrast in momentum could hardly be sharper. The Knicks are considered 69 percent likely to win, with the Pacers at 31 percent, and a combined score around 220 points is expected.

A rivalry renewed under Cup lights

The NBA Cup draw placed New York and Indiana in East Group B alongside Cleveland, Philadelphia and Miami, guaranteeing an early-season rematch of recent playoff battles. The Knicks won the 2026 championship, while the Pacers eliminated them in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams dropped their group openers — Indiana in Miami, New York in Philadelphia — so a second defeat would leave little room for error in the race for the knockout rounds. The home crowd will not need reminding of the history, and the Pacers, who have lost seven of their last eight overall, are desperate for a performance that steadies a wobbling season.

Indiana’s depleted rotation fights for footing

The Pacers’ slump tracks almost exactly with the absence of Tyrese Haliburton, who has been out since late October with a left hamstring strain and is still at least 10 days away from a return. Indiana is also without Ivica Zubac (ankle), T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Ben Sheppard (meniscus) and Johnny Furphy (season-ending ACL tear), while Obi Toppin is sidelined with a back issue. Andrew Nembhard has responded with consecutive double-doubles, and the midweek 114-101 win over Washington offered a blueprint: balanced scoring, improved defense and enough grit to compensate for the missing firepower. Head coach Rick Carlisle has stressed the need for more consistent rebounding — Indiana’s 41.1 boards per game rank among the league’s five worst — and that weakness will be tested severely.

New York’s defense sets the tone

The Knicks sit at 6-5 and have won six of their last eight, built on a defense allowing just 103.5 points per game. Jalen Brunson leads the scoring at 26.0 points per game, Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.9 points and a league-leading 13.5 rebounds, and OG Anunoby provides two-way stability. The concern is Mikal Bridges, who is averaging a career-low 5.9 points on 33 percent shooting and managed just two points in 17 minutes against Cleveland. Landry Shamet has picked up some of the slack from the bench, scoring in double figures in three of the last five games. New York’s offense ranks 22nd in the league, so its defensive discipline remains the foundation.

The glass and the paint will decide it

The most consequential matchup sits inside, where Towns’ rebounding power meets an Indiana frontcourt missing Zubac. The Pacers cannot afford to lose the second-chance battle and expect to keep pace against a team that grinds possessions and protects the rim. Indiana’s best path is to replicate the defensive intensity it showed against Washington and to keep the game at a manageable tempo. New York, meanwhile, will look to punish Indiana’s lack of size and force the Pacers to score through a set defense. The expected combined score of about 220 points suggests a game that will not turn into a track meet — exactly the kind of environment the Knicks prefer.

What the numbers say

The gap between the sides has widened since the week began: the Knicks opened at 55 percent and have climbed to 69 percent, while Indiana has slipped from 45 to 31. That shift reflects both New York’s superior form and the Pacers’ deepening injury crisis. A win would give the Knicks a foothold in Group B and a third straight victory over their rivals in the regular season; for Indiana, it would be a statement that the rivalry still runs through Indianapolis, even with the roster stripped bare.

Preview prepared from the match data · 13 November