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Pacers steal another in New York behind Siakam’s 39 to take 2-0 lead in East finals

The Indiana Pacers are leaving New York with more than just a pair of road wins. They now hold a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference finals.

Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points and helped close out a 114-109 victory over the Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, giving the Pacers a 2-0 lead as the best-of-seven-games series shifts to Indianapolis for Game 3. It was another clinical closing performance by a Pacers team that has now taken back-to-back games from the Knicks on their home floor.

Siakam’s brilliance was complemented by 16 points from Myles Turner and a near triple-double from Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Indiana, now halfway to just their second trip to the NBA finals, are in firm control.

Game 3 is Sunday in Indiana, though the Pacers might prefer to keep playing in New York. They’ve now won six straight road games dating back to their Game 3 loss in Milwaukee during the first round.

Tied 81-81 heading into the fourth quarter, the Pacers opened the final frame on a 13-4 run with Knicks star Jalen Brunson on the bench. Siakam scored three of those points and assisted on another basket as Indiana built a 94-85 lead and seized momentum. They never trailed again.

By the time Siakam canned a fadeaway that made it 110-100 with 2:45 left, the Pacers looked firmly in control. A furious New York rally cut the deficit to 112-109 in the final seconds, but Brunson’s contested 29-footer to tie missed the mark. Indiana’s Myles Turner secured the rebound and iced the game at the line.

It marked the second straight fourth-quarter fade by the Knicks, who also blew a 14-point lead with under three minutes left in Game 1. While Friday’s loss wasn’t quite as historic, it was every bit as devastating.

Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points and 11 assists, a heroic effort that wasn’t quite enough. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 10 rebounds while Josh Hart chipped in 15 points and 11 boards. But the Knicks shot just 7-of-28 from deep and once again struggled with turnovers at key moments.

Haliburton followed up his Game 1 heroics with a more subdued but effective night. Myles Turner added 16 points and held his own defensively against Towns, while Andrew Nembhard delivered timely buckets in the second half.

For Indiana, it was another showcase of their poise and versatility. Their bench outscored New York’s 24-11, and they outshot the Knicks 52% to 45% from the field.

The Pacers now return home with a chance to take a commanding three-games-to-none lead, something no NBA team has ever recovered from in playoff history.

As for the Knicks, the questions are piling up. They’ve now dropped consecutive games at home for the first time all playoffs. Their late-game execution, so often a strength under Tom Thibodeau, has deserted them. And they now face the daunting task of flipping the series on the road against one of the league’s hottest teams.