The China Mail - Pacers put on shooting show to down Knicks, reach NBA Eastern Conference finals

The hot-shooting Pacers won their second straight game -- and their first on the road in the series -- to complete a 4-3 triumph at Madison Square Garden, where their stunning offensive display silenced the crowd and sent them into the conference finals for the first time in a decade.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 26 points while Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard added 20 apiece. Six Pacers players scored in double figures as Indiana connected on a remarkable 67.1% of their shots to roar to victory.

Donte DiVincenzo made nine three-pointers on the way to 39 points for the Knicks. Jalen Brunson scored 17 before departing with a broken left hand at the start of the fourth quarter -- the final injury blow for the ravaged Knicks team.

The Pacers had struggled on the road in these playoffs but seized control at Madison Square Garden with a breathtaking first quarter offensive display that saw them connect on 16 of 21 shots from the field -- including seven of nine from three-point range.

Haliburton led the way, making five of seven shots on the way to 14 points and Siakam made five of his six first-quarter attempts to score 11 as the Pacers built a 39-27 lead.

But the Pacers' early dominance silenced the New York crowd, the league's top-scoring team pushing their lead to 50-30 just minutes into the second quarter.

The Pacers kept up the blistering pace, connecting on 76.3% of their shots in the first half.

The Knicks showed signs of life with an 8-2 scoring run to close the second quarter but Siakam blunted the momentum shift with a block on Brunson at the rim to end the period leaving the Pacers up 70-55 at halftime.

The Knicks kept coming, cutting the deficit to six early in the third.

But the Pacers had all the answers, Myles Turner drilling a trey and T.J. McConnell picking off a Brunson pass to send Haliburton racing for a layup.

The Knicks, chasing a first Eastern Conference finals berth since 2000, hurt their own cause with two costly turnovers on inbounds plays and the Pacers quickly pushed the lead back to 19 points.

Any chance of another gritty Knicks comeback was doomed when Brunson departed and the Pacers cruised home.

The Knicks had hoped for a boost from forward OG Anunoby, who returned to the starting lineup after missing four games with a hamstring injury.

But Anunoby was clearly limited and departed in the first quarter as teammate Josh Hart soldiered on despite an abdominal strain. The Knicks were already playing without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Denver Nuggets faced a do-or-die game seven later Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are trying to reach the Western Conference finals for just the second time behind a standout playoff run from 22-year-old Anthony Edwards.

The winner of the series will face Dallas in the Western Conference finals.

L.Kwan--ThChM