Indiana
Pacers have no answers for Karl-Anthony Towns in 4th quarter of Game 3 loss to Knicks
Pacers Insiders break down Game 3 loss to New York Knicks in Indianapolis
IndyStar’s Dustin Dopirak, Joel A. Erickson and Kyle Neddenriep break down the Indiana Pacers’ Game 3 loss to the New York Knicks.
- Pacers play the Knicks in Game 4 in Indianapolis at 8 p.m. Tuesday on TNT
- Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points in the first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter to lead comeback
- Towns on his game: ‘Fourth quarter’s different. It’s like a whole ‘nother game’
INDIANAPOLIS — The Pacers have a Karl-Anthony Towns problem.
A problem that hasn’t always been insurmountable through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals, but the kind of problem that can kill the Pacers if they give Towns an opening.
Indiana’s offense started to grind its gears midway through the third quarter of Sunday night’s 106-100 loss to New York, but the Knicks offense was still sputtering, hamstrung by the foul trouble of star guard Jalen Brunson.
New York needed somebody to provide the scoring.
Towns took over.
The Knicks big man poured in 20 points in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, singlehandedly providing the scoring punch New York needed to turn an 80-70 Pacers lead at the start of the quarter into a 94-90 deficit with 5:10 left in the game.
“He went on the run,” Pacers forward Pascal Siakam said. “We’ve got to shut that off.”
Towns, the five-time All-Star the Knicks didn’t have when the Pacers ushered New York out of the playoffs last year, has given Indiana fits throughout this season.
He scored 30 points in the second regular-season meeting between the two teams, then thoroughly dominated the Pacers in February, pouring in 40 points to power the Knicks past Indiana in a game where Brunson had just eight points due to foul trouble.
Indiana’s impossible comeback in the fourth quarter of Game 1 overshadowed everything else that’s happened in the series.
But Towns was borderline unstoppable in that game, scoring 35 points on just 17 shots.
“KAT, as we know, is a very gifted scorer,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He can score at three different levels. He’s comfortable at the 3-point line, he’s comfortable putting it on the floor, he’s comfortable playing back to the basket, as long as he stays aggressive.”
Towns wasn’t aggressive enough through the first three quarters against the Pacers.
Frustrated by foul trouble and left behind at times by Indiana’s breakneck pace, Towns had just four points at the end of the third quarter.
With Brunson limited by his own foul trouble and relegated to the bench, though, Towns began to turn on the skills that have given the Pacers so much trouble in the past.
“I just saw an opportunity,” Towns said. “An opportunity to utilize all those hours that I put into the gym. The game wasn’t looking great for me, but for all of us. I just wanted to do whatever it takes to help put us in position to win.”
Towns largely needed only two different levels of scoring to go on the overpowering run that gave the Knicks control of Game 3 down the stretch.
Firing 3-pointers from a stance that looks almost flat-footed, Towns buried a long one 20 seconds into the fourth quarter to get going, and he hit two more by the end of the run, taking advantage every time the Pacers gave him space.
“He’s got a hair trigger,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “You think you’re close enough to him, and he just flicks the wrist.”
The rest of his work was done off the dribble.
Indiana threw almost all of its bigs at Towns.
Myles Turner, the Pacers’ shot-blocking center, got the lion’s share of the workload in the fourth quarter, and he played Towns physical, refusing to give up easy buckets even if it meant fouling the surging Knick. Siakam had his chances; backup Tony Bradley had a few of his own, although Carlisle limited Bradley’s chances once it was clear that Towns had gotten white-hot.
For a little less than seven minutes, it didn’t much matter who was on Towns.
“Fourth quarter’s different,” Towns said. “It’s like a whole ‘nother game.”
When he saw an opening, Towns bullied his way to the basket, either making a difficult, contested layup or drawing a foul and heading to the free-throw line, where he made all five of his attempts to open the fourth quarter.
Indiana never came up with an answer, echoing a handful of other performances against Towns this season.
If the Pacers are going to keep the Knicks from fighting their way back into the series, they’re going to have to do a better job against the New York big man.
Indiana already has an idea of what went wrong.
“We probably fouled too much down there,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “He can see over guys, he’s 7-foot, he’s a big dude. We’ve got to get up, and do a better job of showing help in the gaps.”
But Siakam also pointed out that the Pacers can slow down Towns simply by answering his plays with points of their own, points that came too few and far between in a 42-point second half that is far behind Indiana’s typical pace.
The Pacers must be better on both sides of the ball for the rest of the series.
Because Towns has proven he will take advantage of an opening if the Pacers leave one.

Indiana
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White with the latest on Caitlin Clark’s injury

Stephanie White addresses fresh Caitlin Clark injury concern
The Fever star guard left Tuesday’s win over Connecticut in the final minute.
- Caitlin Clark injured her right groin, her fourth muscle injury of the season
- Caitlin Clark missed her 11th game of the season on Wednesday
NEW YORK — Caitlin Clark will miss her 11th game of the season on Wednesday night, continuing a frustrating season for the Indiana Fever star.
Clark suffered a right groin injury, her fourth separate muscle injury of the season, on Tuesday night against Connecticut in Boston. She grabbed at her groin area with about 30 seconds left in the game, then was visibly emotional as she left the game, putting a towel over her head.
“The most important thing for me was just making sure that she was okay,” coach Stephanie White said. “You know, anybody who’s been injured, as most of us have right now, being injured and continuing to have setbacks is frustrating, mentally, emotionally, and oftentimes, being injured is isolating. So you know, from my standpoint, the primary conversations that we’ve had last night and today are just checking in. ‘Are you good? How can we help?’”
Clark was originally listed as questionable in the 1 p.m. injury report, then downgraded to out around 5 p.m. White said the downgrade was in response to imaging Clark was able to get on her groin on Wednesday afternoon in New York.
Re-live Caitlin Clark’s rookie season with our book
Still, White is optimistic about Clark’s health, considering her day-to-day.
“I consider it good news, just because, for me, if it’s anything that we’re talking about day-to-day, it’s always good news for me,” White said.
This is the first season Clark has had trouble with injuries, going her entire college career and rookie season without missing a game. She had left quad tightness that kept her out of the preseason opener, then suffered a quad strain in May that kept her out five games. Soon after returning from the quad strain, she had a left groin injury that kept her out another five. Now, she has a right groin injury.
While Clark hasn’t necessarily re-aggravated any of her injuries this season, being injured in the first place can lead to other, similar injuries because of overcompensation on muscles to make up for the injured one.
“I’m not really sure that it’s a re-injury as much as a different kind of injury,” White said. “I know oftentimes, when you’re working with injuries in the groin and the quad and the hamstring and all of those things, they’re all kind of tied together. And it’s not always just one thing, you know. So I think, yes, absolutely, the big picture is the most important her for her health and wellness long-term.”
White said that she and Clark haven’t talked about her status past Wednesday’s game. The Fever don’t necessarily have a stake in what Clark, who was planning to be a large part of the weekend in Indianapolis, will do. They can make recommendations on if they would like her to participate or not, but it will ultimately be up to Clark and her representatives in how much she will participate in the 3-point contest and All-Star Game, among other appearances.
“Caitlin and her team will make decisions when it comes to All-Star,” White said. “You know, for me, it’s a big deal for us to have All-Star in Indianapolis. And of course, with Caitlin being a focal point of all of that. As the coach of the Indiana Fever, it’s not a bigger deal than our long term season, but it’s also part of the fun. So those are conversations that Caitlin will have with her group. I probably won’t be a part of those, but we’re gonna support her no matter what.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67.
Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
Indiana
Fever need to dig deep to beat last-place Sun, then suffer apparent Caitlin Clark injury setback

Stephanie White addresses fresh Caitlin Clark injury concern
The Fever star guard left Tuesday’s win over Connecticut in the final minute.
BOSTON — The Indiana Fever recorded an 85-77 win over Connecticut at TD Garden on Tuesday night, but concerns swirled for Fever star Caitlin Clark’s health after she left the game late.
Indiana moved to 12-10 with the win, and play in less than 24 hours against New York in Brooklyn on Wednesday night.
Here are three observations:
Caitlin Clark winces, holds back tears as she leaves game
Caitlin Clark left Indiana’s game late in the fourth quarter after wincing and grabbing the top of her right leg.
With 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Clark checked out of the game after an assist to Kelsey Mitchell. She went to turn around on defense and grabbed near her groin on her right leg.
Clark has already had a groin injury this season, but that was on her left leg. She also had a left quad injury, and those two injuries kept her out for 10 total games so far this season.
Clark seemed to be tearing up on the sideline in the final seconds of the game, and she sat on the bench with a towel over her head as the Fever closed out the win.
“No update, just felt a little something in her groin, so we’ll get it evaluated and see what happens from there,” Fever coach Stephanie White said postgame.
Indiana allows Connecticut to stay close entire game
Indiana came into the game at 11-10, and Connecticut was 3-18. On paper, it seemed like Indiana should come away with an easy win.
But things aren’t as easy as they look. Especially when one of Connecticut’s three wins coming into the game was against Indiana.
Indiana could never create space against Connecticut on Tuesday night, no matter how much the Fever scored. The Fever scored 29 points in the first quarter, but only led by one as they allowed 28 to the Sun. At halftime and at the end of the third quarter, the lead was just two.
The Fever allowed 12 offensive rebounds and turned the ball over 12 times, giving Connecticut multiple extra possessions. Indiana still won the game at the end of the day, but it was much more difficult than it should’ve been.
Fan wearing Fever jersey gets ejected
A fan wearing a No. 22 Indiana Fever t-shirt jersey was ejected from his courtside seat in the second quarter.
It happened after a timeout, when Sun guard Saniya Rivers went to the sideline where the fan was sitting to inbound the ball. Rivers then stepped away from the sideline, having a passionate conversation with two referees.
Security eventually identified the fan, who was escorted out of his seat and taken up through the lower-level seats to the concourse. Other fans booed and waved goodbye as he left with a security escort.
It’s not clear what the fan said or did to Rivers for him to get ejected.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
Indiana
Indiana outfielder makes program history with high MLB Draft selection | Sporting News

The Indiana Hoosiers are officially on the board in the 2025 MLB Draft — and it’s one of the biggest stars in program history who heard his name called.
Outfielder Devin Taylor was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the No. 48 overall pick in the second round late Sunday night. He became the highest-drafted outfielder in program history and the top selection of the Jeff Mercer era, which began in 2019.
Over the past few months, Taylor had shown up across a wide range of mock drafts. Some projected him as a potential mid-to-late first-rounder, but he slipped a bit on draft night before finally landing with the A’s at 48.
His college career was nothing short of impressive.
Taylor was a unanimous All-American in 2025 and picked up eight total All-American honors during his three seasons in Bloomington. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023 — one of just four in program history — and helped lead Indiana to 108 wins, three Big Ten Tournament appearances, and two NCAA Tournament berths.
But Taylor didn’t just produce — he stood out.
Taylor put together one of the best offensive seasons in the country in 2025, hitting .374 with 18 home runs and nearly twice as many walks as strikeouts. That kind of plate discipline is tough to teach — and it stood out to scouts all spring. With quick hands, raw power, and a mature approach in the box, he became one of the more talked-about hitters in this year’s draft class.
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His selection gives Indiana another strong presence in the early rounds and adds to the growing list of players who’ve gone pro under head coach Jeff Mercer. Taylor was one of the most reliable bats in college baseball over the last few seasons and kept improving each year.
Scouts are drawn to his clean left-handed swing and ability to stay within himself at the plate. He’s shown he can hit for both average and power, and he doesn’t chase much — all signs that point to a player who could carve out a long-term role as an everyday outfielder.
For the A’s, he fills a real need. Only two outfielders currently rank among their top 10 prospects, so bringing in a polished college bat like Taylor adds immediate depth to the system and fits the timeline of a team still working through its rebuild.
For Oakland, it’s another advanced college bat with upside. And for Indiana, Taylor’s rise is another example of a program continuing to develop high-level talent and stay nationally relevant.
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