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NEW YORK — While the traditional games are just as significant as the more chaotic ones, sometimes achieving victory with minimal drama is essential.
There was no dramatic rally from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter or a last-minute surge from nine points down. There were no extraordinary scoring feats from Aaron Nesmith, nor was there a spectacular buzzer-beater by Tyrese Haliburton.
In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers simply outperformed the New York Knicks, claiming a 114-109 win on Friday that gives them a 2-0 series lead.
Pascal Siakam spearheaded an efficient offensive effort with 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting, while the Knicks struggled to contain what has become the most potent offense remaining in the playoffs. Jalen Brunson, leading the Knicks, recorded 36 points and 11 assists but missed a long three-pointer that could have tied the game in the closing seconds, echoing his late-game struggles from Game 1.
The Pacers have now secured six consecutive road victories during these playoffs, while the Knicks find themselves at 3-5 when playing at Madison Square Garden.
As the series shifts to Indiana for Game 3 on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, TNT), here are some observations, insights, statistics, and highlights…
Despite the Knicks boasting the higher-ranked offense during the regular season and having two elite players, the Pacers’ offense has reached a new pinnacle in the postseason and has proven more challenging to defend.
While Tyrese Haliburton serves as the floor leader, the Pacers’ style emphasizes pace, ball movement, and player mobility over individual prowess. Throughout the first two rounds, Indiana led the playoffs in both total passes and distance traveled per 24 minutes of possession.
The Knicks have struggled to keep pace. Over the first two games, the Pacers have averaged 126.6 points per 100 possessions, a figure that stands as the second-best in the history of the conference finals or Finals over the last 29 years of record-keeping.
When called upon, the Indiana offense has excelled. After overcoming a 17-point deficit in Game 1, the Pacers executed an impressive 31 points across their final 13 possessions of regulation. In a closely contested Game 2, they netted 42 points on their last 27 possessions (1.56 per).
This success stemmed partly from exceptional shot-making and playmaking, but also from executing multiple offensive actions while keeping the ball moving until defensive mismatches occurred.
The Pacers exhibit an unyielding approach, especially in transition.
Both teams have been efficient in half-court settings, making transition opportunities less critical than in other playoff matchups.
However, in these two games decided by a mere eight points, Indiana has enjoyed a substantial edge in transition scoring. Synergy tracking shows the Pacers outscoring the Knicks 51-26 in transition points.
The difference lies not only in transition possessions but also in the efficiency of their scoring.
The Pacers’ 42 points on their final 27 possessions kicked off with three consecutive transition layups. Notably, two of these came following successful baskets by the Knicks, highlighting defensive lapses.
Beyond allowing layups post-basket, the Knicks had issues in transition defense, often leaving defenders vulnerable in mismatches.
To have any chance of turning this series around, the Knicks must improve their defense, particularly in transition.
Among the rotation players still competing in these playoffs, only two — Alex Caruso (2020 Lakers) and Siakam (2019 Raptors) — have significant experience from previous championship runs.
On Friday, Siakam recorded nearly as many transition points (10) as the entire Knicks lineup (11) while also making a considerable impact in half-court plays against multiple defenders.
Although OG Anunoby is a tall defender, he struggled to contain Siakam, who successfully made several turnaround jumpers from 14-18 feet during Game 2.
“It was a special game,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, praising Siakam’s performance. “It is challenging to rack up that level of scoring amid physical matchups.”
In Game 1, Nesmith posted a career-high 30 points, while Siakam’s 39 in Game 2 marked his highest output in 148 games with the Pacers and set a new playoff career best over 82 games. It remains possible that someone else could step up in Game 3.
“What distinguishes us as a team is our variety of options,” Siakam noted. “We’re not fixated on individual scoring; we adapt to how the game unfolds.”
Among 40 players with a minimum of 100 field goal attempts this postseason, three of the top four in effective field goal percentage belong to the Pacers: Nesmith (69.3%), Andrew Nembhard (62.2%), and Siakam (60.1%).
Throughout the fourth quarter, the Knicks kept Mitchell Robinson on the floor often, yet the Pacers successfully created scoring opportunities by involving him in pick-and-roll plays, as he thwarted some Haliburton isolations.
In these two games, when Robinson has defended a ball screen, the Pacers have only managed to score 0.80 points per attempt against him, highlighting his defensive effectiveness.
It is no surprise that Indiana found more success on Friday by avoiding Robinson in ball screens and targeting Brunson instead, leading to quality shots, including a wide-open three-pointer from Myles Turner after Haliburton initiated the offense against Robinson.
With the Pacers leading by three and less than five minutes to go, they exploited a switch that put Brunson on Haliburton. Haliburton drove, drew Robinson’s help, and connected with Turner for a clean shot from the corner.
On the next possession, Haliburton once again exploited the switch, sinking a pull-up three over Brunson.
Another screen aimed at Brunson produced more drives for Haliburton, another three-pointer for Turner that just missed, but the offensive process was solid despite being a challenging shot.
Brunson has defended 46 ball screens during this series, ranking third after the two starting centers. It’s likely this strategy will continue.
The Pacers utilize their bench more than the Knicks; however, this doesn’t inherently mean their reserves are superior. New York had the more highly ranked bench during the regular season and in the earlier playoff rounds.
Both contests have remained tight, even though the Knicks’ starting lineup has been outscored by 29 points in 43 minutes of play (now a cumulative minus-50 over 308 total playoff minutes). Indiana has consistently performed well at the start of each half, but the Knicks have managed to catch up when their bench has taken the court.
Two Indiana reserves, Bennedict Mathurin and Thomas Bryant, have struggled to make a positive impact, prompting Pacers coach Rick Carlisle to bench both players during Game 2.
Mathurin was substituted out early in the second quarter and did not return, despite having scored 38 points in the Pacers’ sole regular-season win against New York; he’s now been outscored by 39 points over his last three games.
Bryant also sat out the entire second half as Carlisle opted for Tony Bradley, who had only played under 16 playoff minutes prior to Friday, as the backup center.
In the second half, bench play improved significantly, helping Indiana launch a decisive 20-8 run that spanned both the third and fourth quarters.
Regardless of whether bench contributions have been positive or negative, the Pacers need support from more than just five players.
“We need contributions from everyone,” Carlisle emphasized. “That’s the way we have to operate.”
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John Schuhmann serves as a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can reach him via email, find his archive here, and follow him on X.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA, its teams, or Warner Bros. Discovery.
