The New York Knicks find themselves in a deep deficit after falling to the Indiana Pacers 114-109 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
Pascal Siakam’s 39-point performance propelled Indiana to its sixth straight road win of the playoffs and a 2-0 lead in the series.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t mince words when asked what stood out most in the defeat: “Just didn’t find a way to win in the end.”
The game was tied at 81 entering the fourth quarter, but the Pacers opened the final frame on a 13-4 run and never looked back.
Thibodeau said, “Going into the fourth quarter, it’s a tie ball game and we just got to make better plays—more winning plays.”
Despite 36 points and 11 assists from Jalen Brunson, New York struggled to generate stops when it mattered most.
Siakam, who hit 15-of-23 shots, hurt the Knicks in transition, in the half court, and from deep. “Compilation of everything—transition, half court, space,” Thibodeau said. “We got to do a better job on him.”
The Knicks’ late rally cut the deficit to one with 14 seconds remaining, but Indiana closed it out at the line after a missed three from Brunson.
Thibodeau opted to keep Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench during much of the fourth quarter, turning to Mitchell Robinson instead.
“Just—we got in a hole and then the group that was in there gave us a chance, so we just rode that,” he said.
Down 0-2, the Knicks now face a historically grim outlook—no team has ever won a conference finals series after losing the first two games at home.
Still, Thibodeau emphasized a consistent message heading into Game 3: “Same thing. Just get ready for the next one…study the film, make our corrections, get ready to play again.”
Asked about New York’s repeated slow starts, including a 19-9 deficit early in Game 2, Thibodeau acknowledged the issue. “We just got to keep looking at it. Got to do better.”
The Pacers shot 51.8 percent from the field and hit 13-of-30 from three, compared to New York’s 47.6 and 11-of-32 respectively.
Indiana also received double-digit scoring from five players, including 16 from Myles Turner and 14 from Tyrese Haliburton, who added 11 assists.
When questioned about potential lineup changes moving forward, Thibodeau responded, “We always look at everything.”
Game 3 tips off Sunday in Indianapolis, where the Knicks will try to stave off a 3-0 deficit that no team in NBA history has come back from.
