The Indiana Pacers once again surged on their home floor to stave off elimination and force a Game 7 by beating the Knicks, 116-103, on Friday night.
-The Pacers outrebounded the Knicks 47-35 in a complete turnaround from Game 5, and were led by Pascal Siakam’s 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
-Jalen Brunson led New York with 31 points and five assists, followed by Miles McBride and Donte DiVincenzo with 20 and 17 respectively.
-Myles Turner had 17 points, while Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell and Tyrese Haliburton each had 15.
-The two teams kept it tight out of the gates, with Indiana crashing the offensive boards and New York getting an immediate spark from McBride.
-He hit three early threes en route to 11 points in the quarter, as the Knicks led 30-29 after one.
-After a play in the first, Josh Hart was in discomfort with something in his left abdomen but continued playing despite being in clear pain.
-With Brunson off to an uncharacteristic 2-for-13 start, others kept stepping up. McBride continued his heater, Isaiah Hartenstein started making a big impact on the offensive boards in quarter two and DiVincenzo found his rhythm to finish the half with 15 points.
-Indiana made their push late in the second with a 17-2 run capitalized by a massive Turner slam, making nine straight field goals to help take a 61-51 halftime lead.
-Brunson got on track to try and ignite a Knicks comeback, but the Pacers quickly strengthened their lead. Haliburton found a groove on McBride, shooting over him from multiple ranges.
-McConnell and the bench pestered the Knicks once again, as Indy used an 11-3 run to build as high as an 18-point lead before going into the fourth up 88-75.
-Things went from bad to worse as Hart left for the locker room early in the fourth and Indiana blew open a 20-point advantage behind an 8-0 run.
-Brunson was subbed out and Hart was ruled out for the night just minutes later, as the Pacers coasted to victory.
Siakam took on the Hart matchup with a renewed vengeance tonight, constantly battering him and whoever the Knicks tried in the mid-range and low post. His three offensive rebounds also helped set the pace for Indiana on the glass.
The Knicks and Pacers will meet for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
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