The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks 114-109 in Game 2 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Pascal Siakam finished with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the field.
“That’s why we brought him here,” said Tyrese Haliburton after the game. “That’s what he’s here to do. He can get a bucket in so many different ways.”
Siakam scored the Pacers’ first 11 points in the game while finishing with 17 points in the first quarter.
It was also Siakam’s third career playoff game with the Pacers of scoring 35 or more points.
Siakam said that it was important to maintain levity throughout the series.
“You can’t ride a wave,” he said. “Can’t get too high with the highs, can’t get too low with the lows. I just appreciate the opportunity that I have here to have a bunch of guys that they want to hear my voice.”
Haliburton added 14 points and 11 assists. Myles Turner finished with 16 points, scoring 13 in the fourth quarter.
Rick Carlisle echoed Siakam in saying that the series is far from over ahead of Sunday’s Game 3.
“There are a lot of traps here,” Carlisle said. “You cannot assume going home is going to be easier. It never is. Each game as you ascend in a playoff series becomes harder.”