Pascal Siakams Career-High 39 Points Lead Indiana to 2-0 Series Lead Over New York Knicks
The Indiana Pacers took a commanding lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a thrilling 114-109 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden. The win was powered by a career-high 39 points from Pascal Siakam, who led the Pacers to a 11-2 run early in the fourth quarter that broke an 83-83 tie and secured the win. Siakam's scoring outburst was vital for Indiana, who also received 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 Knicks cut the deficit to three points at three different times in the game, but Indiana answered each challenge with key shots from Turner and Haliburton. In the final seconds of regulation, Josh Hart cut the Knicks' deficit to 110-109 with a layup, but Jalen Brunson fouled Nesmith on the ensuing inbounds play, allowing the 91.3% free-throw shooter to convert both attempts. Brunson then missed a long 3-point try, and Turner hit two more free throws after being fouled. Despite Brunson's 36 points and 11 assists, he missed his final two 3-pointers, and Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each added 20 points but finished with a game-high minus-20. Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks' head coach, benched Towns for most of the fourth quarter, saying, "We got in a hole, and the group that was in there gave us a chance." Siakam started his barrage early, scoring the Pacers' first 11 points and pushing them to a 19-9 lead midway through the first quarter. However, the Knicks went on a 10-0 run to tie the game, fueled by 3-pointers from Miles McBride and Brunson. Siakam added another five points to keep the Pacers ahead, but New York ended the quarter with a 26-24 lead on a dunk by OG Anunoby and a 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 said 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 to the comfort of their home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals scheduled for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. "You cannot assume going home is gonna be easier," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters after the game.
