After a quiet outing in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Pascal Siakam came into Friday night with something to prove — and the Indiana Pacers made sure he got the ball early and often.
From the opening tip, he was unstoppable.
Siakam torched the New York Knicks for Indiana’s first 11 points, racking up 17 in the first quarter alone. He didn’t let up, finishing with a playoff career-high 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting, along with five rebounds and three assists. His dominance helped silence the Madison Square Garden crowd and powered the Pacers to a 114-109 win, giving them a 2-0 lead as the series heads back to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Sunday.
“This is exactly why we brought him here,” said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. “He can get a bucket in so many ways. We just kept feeding him, and he kept coming up clutch. Big shot after big shot after big shot. When you’re in an environment like this and the crowd’s getting into it, those buckets are momentum-killers.”
Having won a title with the 2019 Raptors, Siakam’s championship experience is something the Pacers have leaned on heavily since acquiring him in a January 2024 trade with Toronto.
But despite the hot streak, Siakam kept his teammates grounded.
“You can’t ride the wave,” he said. “Can’t get too high with the highs, can’t get too low with the lows.” He added, “I just appreciate being in a spot where my voice matters. These guys want to listen, and that means a lot.”
While Siakam’s leadership is critical, so is his scoring firepower. This marked his third 35+ point playoff game as a Pacer — already putting him third in franchise history behind Reggie Miller and Paul George, according to ESPN Research.
“He carried us,” said head coach Rick Carlisle. “In a game like this, where the physicality is relentless and defenders are flying at you, putting up 39 is no small task. But he made it look effortless — a quiet 39.”
A compelling subplot in the series has been Siakam’s matchup against his former Raptors teammate, OG Anunoby. In Game 1, Anunoby locked him down, holding him to 0-for-3 shooting. But Siakam flipped the script in Game 2, going 4-for-6 when guarded by OG.
“It’s special — two guys from Toronto competing like this,” Siakam said. “Of course it gives you that extra edge. I know how hard he competes. That just pushes me to be even better.”
But it wasn’t a one-man show for the Pacers. Six players scored in double figures, with Haliburton posting 14 points and 11 assists, and Myles Turner putting up 16 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter.
“That’s what makes this group special,” Haliburton said. “We’ve got so many guys stepping up, doing something unique every night.”
That balanced effort helped Indiana grab their sixth straight road win this postseason, improving to 6-1 away from home. Still, Carlisle urged caution.
“This is where teams get trapped,” he warned. “You can’t assume things get easier just because you’re going home. Every game in a playoff series gets harder. And don’t count out New York — they’ve got a serious fighting spirit.”
Description:
Pascal Siakam leads the Indiana Pacers to a 114-109 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a playoff career-high 39 points. Discover how Siakam's leadership, offensive firepower, and support from teammates like Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner helped the Pacers take a 2-0 series lead as the action shifts to Indianapolis.