The Indiana Pacers triumphed over the New York Knicks by 125-108 on Saturday night in retaliation of their 4-2 win in the Eastern Conference Finals, which is the means for them to reach the first NBA Finals since 2000.
Pascal Siakam with 31 points as the leading scorer earned Eastern Conference Finals MVP. Tyesre Haliburton contributed 21 points and 13 assists carrying Indiana to victory in the second half following a very close first half. Seven players of the Pacers squad each made an equal contribution by scoring in the double figures, and two of them were obi Toppin (18) and Thomas Bryant (11) who played off the bench, thus, Indiana was able to outscore New Yorks reserves of 38-20.
The Pacers utilized a 9-0 run to initiate the third quarter without looking back. This was a dominant performance as they capitalized on the 18 Knicks turnovers by scoring 34 points off of them, hence, enjoying their running game to the fullest. Haliburton, who had a bad 1st quarter score, regained his form in the 2nd one, picking up with eight and powering with eleven points more in the fourth to seal the victory.
OG Anunoby was the key scorer for the Knicks as he staged 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns made a 22-14 double-double and Jalen Brunson could get only 19 points but also 7 assists.
Indiana now stands against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals which are due to start on Thursday. The Pacers are still in the race for their first NBA Finals championship.
