What Streak Did Pacers Snap vs. Nuggets?

With four games left until the 2025 NBA playoffs, any win will do for the fourth-seed Indiana Pacers, but Sunday marked quite the momentous victory. In the pearl-clutching, tight-knit, the 125-120 victory over the Denver Nuggets optimized how far the Pacers have come as playoff contenders. The Pacers snapped a significant skid in their win against the Nuggets.

Although the Pacers clinched an Eastern Conference Finals berth in the 2024 playoffs, they lacked believability in terms of championship contention throughout the regular season, aside from finishing as runner-up in the Play-In Tournament.

However, after beating the Nuggets, despite a monstrous Nikola Jokic performance in which he scored 41 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dished 13 assists, the Pacers again showcased why they belong in the NBA's contender tier. 

Before Sunday, the Pacers hadn't beaten the Nuggets since Jan. 19, 2020.

The last time the Pacers bested the Nuggets, COVID-19 hadn't changed the world as we know it. 

When Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton and Rick Carlisle, the Pacers slowly improved, which bubbled into the formidable player-coach duo, clinching their first Eastern Conference Finals berth since 2014.

Haliburton didn't have a great shooting night against the Nuggets, converting only 3 of 8 shots from the field and a 1 for 6 clip from 3, but where he won the game rivals the 2023 NBA champion. The Pacers' point guard finished with 14 assists, outdoing Jokic in such a stat. 

Haliburton's vision led the Pacers to one of the best wins of the season and finally cracked the franchise's nine-game losing streak against the Nuggets.