Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith was absolutely lighting it up on Friday night, putting up 18 points on an insane 7-of-10 shooting, but what started as a brilliant performance against the New York Knicks ended with him limping off the court with an apparent hand or wrist injury. After the final buzzer, head coach Rick Carlisle had no update on Nesmith’s status, and honestly, that’s not what anyone wants to hear after a hard-fought win.
The Play That Froze the Game
Then, boom! With 2.8 seconds left on the clock, everything changed. Nesmith was hustling, chasing down a loose ball when he took a nasty spill on the court. Knicks forward OG Anunoby managed to scoop up the ball and call a timeout, but forget the clock, everyone’s eyes were locked on Nesmith. He stayed down on the sideline for a few heart-stopping moments. When he finally got up, he was clutching his left arm tight to his chest. Kelly Oubre Jr. had to check in for him, Nesmith had a super brief chat with a trainer, then jogged straight to the locker room, looking like he was in some serious pain. That’s a total gut punch, especially when a guy’s been playing that well.
A Win Overshadowed
Yeah, the Pacers pulled off a tight 106-104 victory over the reigning NBA champion Knicks, making it their second straight win. That’s huge for team morale, beating the champs like that! But man, that taste of victory has gotta be bittersweet with Nesmith’s injury looming. You take down the best, you get a solid W, and then one of your key players, who was a massive part of that success, goes down without any answers. What the heck does this mean for their early season run if Nesmith is out for any real time? Losing a guy who just dropped 18 on 7-of-10 shooting, that hurts. Look, nobody wants to play doctor, but Carlisle’s got nothing? That silence speaks volumes, and it screams uncertainty.
So yeah, the Pacers bagged the win, but forget the final score for a sec. Nesmith’s left arm, that’s the real story. With Carlisle giving us nothing, it’s a total waiting game, and you gotta hope it’s nothing too serious for a guy who was just tearing it up out there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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