An unlucky sports fan lost over $9,000 after Tyrese Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to a shocking comeback win over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday.
The Knicks led the Pacers by 17 points in the fourth quarter. Their lead felt even safer at 14 points with under three minutes to go. And when the Pacers cut it to nine points with under a minute remaining? It was still over. Turn the TV off and get to bed early, Pacer and Knicks fans. Or so we thought.
Per the New York Post, a bettor placed a massive $9,626 wager on the Knicks through the Kalshi prediction market. The bettor, believing the Knicks had the game in the bag, would have only pocketed a profit of $77 (a $9,723 payout) if New York held on.
To put down that much money on such a small profit didn’t at all seem risky, considering that no team had ever erased the deficit Indiana faced. But sure enough, the Knicks’ historic collapse unraveled, with Tyrese Haliburton hitting the game-tying basket as time expired to force overtime:
WHAT A SHOT BY TYRESE HALIBURTON 🤯🤯🤯 https://t.co/8wEwdkeRwZ pic.twitter.com/s497GwRWi9
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2025
Unfortunately for the bettor, the Knicks wouldn’t recover as they went on to lose 138-135 in overtime. Tyrese Haliburton finished the night with 31 points, four rebounds and 11 assists to steal home advantage from New York.
LMAOOOO someone put $9.6k on the Knicks when they had a 99% chance to win to make $77
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) May 22, 2025
RIP BOZO
via @KalshiSports pic.twitter.com/sByRLBGTtu
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Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, teams up 14 or more points with 2:45 remaining in a playoff game since 1997 were 994-0. With the Knicks collapsing and the Pacers completing the improbable comeback, that mark is no longer perfect.
Game 2 is set for Friday night at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Tyrese Haliburton & Underdog Pacers Just Keep On Finding Ways To Win
The Pacers were hardly considered a threat to win the East heading into the postseason, despite finishing fourth in the East with a 50-32 record. But after taking down the Milwaukee Bucks in round one, they shocked the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to set up a rivalry renewal with New York.
There is still a long way to go, but who’s to count out the Pacers from winning the franchise’s first championship at this point?
