The Indiana Pacers went into MSG on Wednesday and did the unthinkable and strutted back to their hotel with a 1-0 series lead.
How would the Knicks respond on Friday?
Quite well, as they led by two points after one quarter then went into halftime with a three-point lead. Unfortunately, an NBA game is four quarters and the Pacers tied things up heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, the pendulum swung back and forth…back and forth…back and forth.
Indiana went up 94-85 with 8:56 left but New York responded and got within three points with 6:21 left. There was no panic from Indiana, though, as they dribbled, cut, bounced and shot their way to a nine-point lead exactly three minutes later. Like Rocky Balboa, New York took the blow and came out swinging once again to get within two points with 14.1 second left in the game, but Indiana shrugged that off like an annoying gnat and gutted out the 114-109 victory to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Indiana shot 51.8% from the field while New York converted 47.6%. Indiana won the three-point battle – 11-of-30 vs. 11-of-32 – but New York squeaked out more free throws – 18-of-21 vs. 15-of-21.
New York had six more rebounds and three more offensive ones.
Indiana had eight more assists, seven more fast break points and four more points in the paint.
There were 16 ties and 17 lead changes.
Pascal Siakam ($6,400; 52.75 FPTS) was brilliant, shooting 15-of-23 from the field, 3-of-5 from downtown and 6-of-8 from the line. He finished with a team-high 39 points while chipping in five rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Five other Pacers scored in double figures.
Tyrese Haliburton ($8,500; 47 FPTS) put up 14 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and two steals. He only shot 5-of-16 from the field and 3-of-10 from beyond the arc.
For New York, Jalen Brunson ($8,700; 60.75 FPTS) was magnificent, finishing with 36 points, three rebounds, 11 assists and a steal. He went 13-of-27 from the field, 5-of-12 from downtown and drained all five of his free throws.
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,100; 29.25 FPTS) only played 28 minutes. There was no injury or foul trouble. Tom Thibodeau went with Mitchell Robinson ($4,100; 23.25 FPTS) for long stretches, especially in the fourth quarter. Robinson played 29 minutes. Towns finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. He was a minus 20 on the night.
Game 3 is Sunday in Indiana.
