After stealing Game 1, the Indiana Pacers didn't let up at Madison Square Garden and took Game 2 on Friday to head home with a 2-0 series lead, just two wins away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.
Pascal Siakam shined for the Pacers in the 114-109 victory, leading the team with an eye-popping 39 points—a playoff career high—including 23 in the first half as the rest of the offense struggled to get going. Tyrese Haliburton had a 14-point, 11-assist double-double following his miraculous shot at the end of regulation in Game 1, which helped lift Indiana to an incredible comeback win. He also added eight rebounds in Game 2 on Friday.
Playoff career-high UNLOCKED 📈
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 24, 2025
Pascal Siakam has a new playoff career-high 39 points and counting. pic.twitter.com/ZkSDsmGPr0
Game 2 featured plenty of back-and-forth lead changes with neither the Knicks nor the Pacers able to hold that much momentum for long.
The Knicks tried to mount their own last-second comeback Friday, as New York went on a 9-0 run to trim Indiana's lead to just one point with 14.1 seconds to go. They ultimately put the ball in Jalen Brunson's hands, but Brunson missed a game-tying three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left.
Pacers big man Myles Turner came up with a big rebound off Brunson's missed three. Turner then went to the line and sank two free throws to bring Indiana's lead up to five points with four seconds left, which put the game out of reach for the Knicks.
The Pacers' 114-109 win at MSG on Friday marks their sixth straight road victory of the postseason. They are 10-2 thus far in the playoffs, including 6-1 on the road.
With control of the series, the Pacers have an opportunity to send the Knicks to the brink of elimination in Game 3, which tips off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pascal Siakam Leads Pacers to Game 2 Win Over Knicks in Another MSG Thriller.
