Pascal Siakam drops 39 as Pacers put Knicks in 2-0 series hole - ESPN

NEW YORK — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 114-109 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Myles Turner added 16 points, and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds for the Pacers, who head home halfway to their second trip to the NBA Finals. They lost to the Lakers in 2000 in their only shot at the title.

Game 3 is Sunday in Indiana, though the Pacers might prefer to keep the series where it is. They have won six straight road games since falling at Milwaukee in Game 3 of the first round.

Siakam finished 15-for-23 from the field on a night nobody else on the high-scoring Pacers had more than five baskets.

«Special game,» Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. «In the first half he was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches.»

According to ESPN Research, the Pacers are 9-0 when up 2-0 in a best-of-seven series, whereas the Knicks are 0-14 when trailing 2-0. Overall, teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series are 329-28 (.922) in those series.

No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals.

«Going into the fourth quarter it's a tie ballgame. We've just got to make better plays, more winning plays,» Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who need a quick turnaround or their first appearance in the conference finals in 25 years will be brief. They defended much better after their crushing collapse in a 138-135 overtime loss in Game 1, but couldn't find enough scoring to come back after a bad start to the fourth quarter.

Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20 points and