- The Pacers beat the Knicks 116-103 on Friday night to set up Game 7 on Sunday.
- Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and seven rebounds to inspire Indiana to victory.
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Pascal Siakam had 25 points and seven rebounds as the Indiana Pacers turned around the New York Knicks with a 116-103 victory on Friday night to tie the Eastern Conference semifinals at 3-3.
The decisive seventh game will be played on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Indiana entered the game determined to match New York’s intensity and physical rebounding style after a 30-point loss in Game 5.
The Pacers outscored New York with a 44-37 rebounding advantage and even held a slight 14-13 advantage on the offensive end after being dominated on the glass in Game 5.
Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each scored 15 points, with Nemhard grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists as Indiana kept its perfect postseason home record intact at 6-0. Haliburton had nine assists.
Pascal Siakam scored 25 points and seven rebounds and the Pacers beat the Knicks 116-103.
Tyrese Haliburton added 15 points and the Pacers forced a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson again led the shorthanded Knicks, scoring 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting after missing his final 11 shots in the first half. Deuce McBride added 20 points and Donte DiVincenzo had 17, but Josh Hart left in the fourth quarter with what the Knicks said was abdominal pain.
The Knicks have lost nine straight playoff games in Indiana, but now they return to the Garden, where they have played dramatically better.
It didn’t take long for the Pacers to show that this contest would be different.
They outscored New York early, picking up loose balls and turning them into quick points as they took a 42-41 lead on Haliburton’s second 3-pointer of the game. The 16-7 run that followed helped the Pacers take a 61-48 halftime lead and they never trailed again.
Brunson rallied in the second half, bringing the Knicks within 61-56 after scoring two baskets and a free throw.
Jalen Brunson led the shorthanded Knicks by scoring 31 points on 11-of-26 shooting.
But Nembhard and Haliburton responded with consecutive 3-pointers to rebuild an 11-point margin, and the Knicks never competed again.
It was the third straight game decided by double digits after the first three were all single-point margins.
New York again played without four key players due to injuries: forwards OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic and Julius Randle, and backup center Mitchell Robinson.
Only Anunoby, who injured his left hamstring in the second half of Game 2 and hasn’t played since, appears to have a chance to return Sunday.
Trainer Tom Thibodeau said Anunoby continues to do “light work” as he tries to recover.
