Pascal Siakam scored 39 points, a career playoff high, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 114-109 win over the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
It is the first time in franchise history the Knicks have lost the first two games of a playoff series at home.
Siakam’s scoring outburst was vital for Indiana, who got 14 points from Tyrese Haliburton and 16 from Myles Turner. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith added 12 points each, and T.J. McConnell contributed 10.
The Pacers broke an 83-83 tie early in the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Siakam. New York cut the deficit to three points at three different times, but Indiana answered each challenge, notably on 3s by Turner and Haliburton, who finally hit big shots late after being quiet through most of the game.
The Knicks cut Indiana’s lead to 110-109 with 14.1 seconds remaining in regulation on a layup by Josh Hart, but Jalen Brunson fouled Nesmith on the ensuing inbounds, and the 91.3% free-thow shooter converted both attempts. Brunson then missed a long 3-point try, and Turner hit two more free throws after being fouled.
“We don’t care about who scores, we just wanna win the game,” Siakam told TNT after the game.
Brunson scored 36 points with 11 assists for New York, but missed his final two 3-pointers. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each added 20 points, but Towns, who finished a game-high minus-20, sat for most of the fourth quarter.
“We got in a hole, and the group that was in there gave us a chance,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the game about Towns’ benching.
Pascal Siakam started his barrage early
The Pacers demonstrated the depth of their lineup early on with Siakam scoring their first 11 points. Nesmith and Nembhard scored Indiana’s next eight, pushing the Pacers to a 19-9 lead midway through the first quarter.
However, New York then went on a 10-0 run to tie the game, fueled by 3-pointers from Miles McBride and Brunson. At that point, perhaps Indiana needed a basket from Haliburton to get steady, but instead Siakam added another five points. The Knicks ended the quarter with a 26-24 lead on a dunk by OG Anunoby and tip-in from Mitchell Robinson.
Indiana trailed 52-49 at halftime with Haliburton scoring only two points on 1-of-7 shooting with five assists. Brunson provided his expected production with 17 points, and Siakam had 23 points in the opening 24 minutes against a bigger lineup with Towns and Robinson. However, going bigger gave the Knicks a 21-14 rebounding edge, preventing Indiana from running and playing at a faster pace.
“When you play such a terrible half like that and you’re only down 3, I think that gives you a lot of confidence,” Haliburton told TNT after the game.
The Knicks’ momentum didn’t hold in the second half as the Pacers picked up the tempo and posted their two highest-scoring quarters of the game. The Pacers now return home to the comfort of their home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“You cannot assume going home is gonna be easier,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the game.
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals is scheduled for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
