Pascal Siakam Scores 39 Points, Pacers Take 2-0 Series Lead Over Knicks

Indiana Pacers star forward Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points in Friday night’s 114-109 win over the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Pascal Siakam Posted His Third Career 35-Point Playoff Game With Pacers

Siakam put up Indiana’s first 11 points, scored 17 in the first quarter overall, and finished 15-of-23 (65.2%) shooting from the field to go with five rebounds and three assists.

This was Siakam’s third career 35-point game in the playoffs with the Pacers, already the third most all time (trailing only Reggie Miller and Paul George), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“He was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s hard to score that number of points in a game like this where you always have a physical matchup defensively and there’s a guy crashing and flying at the basket.

“But he did a phenomenal job. It’s a quiet 39 points. It really was.”

PASCAL SIAKAM DROPS A PLAYOFF-CAREER HIGH 39 POINTS 🔥

PACERS TAKE 2-0 EAST FINALS LEAD 📈👀

6 straight road playoff wins for Indiana! pic.twitter.com/3X2F5ZaGkw

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2025

Siakam won a championship in 2019 with the Raptors, and the three-time All-Star has exceeded expectations since Indiana acquired him in a trade with Toronto in January 2024.

“That’s why we brought him here,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “That’s what he’s here to do. He can get a bucket in so many different ways.

“We just kept feeding him, and I thought he did a great job of making big shot after big shot after big shot. Killing momentum. When you’re in an environment like this, the crowd’s getting into it, a lot of those shots can be backbreakers.”

Indiana Won Its Sixth Straight Road Playoff Victory

Siakam was one of six Pacers who scored in double figures. Haliburton added 14 points and 11 assists, and Myles Turner scored 13 of his 16 in the fourth quarter.

New York’s Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 11 assists, while Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20 points and seven rebounds. Towns played just 28 minutes as coach Tom Thibodeau went longer with backup Mitchell Robinson, who grabbed nine rebounds.

The score was tied at 81 after the third quarter before the Pacers opened the fourth with a 13-4 run to move ahead 94-85 on Siakam’s 3-pointer with 9:17 remaining.

Late in the final frame, Indiana led 110-100 after another basket by Siakam with 2:45 to play. The Knicks scored nine straight to make it 110-109 on Josh Hart’s basket with 14 seconds to go.

However, Aaron Nesmith made two free throws for the Pacers, then Brunson struggled to close the gap on a 3-point attempt, and Turner secured the victory with two free throws.

Game 2 was Indiana’s sixth straight road playoff victory.

NBA teams that lead 2-0 in the conference finals have a 76-6 all-time record in the best-of-seven series. No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals.

The Pacers host the Knicks for Game 3 on Sunday night in Indianapolis.