The Indiana Pacers are heading back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years after defeating the New York Knicks 125-108 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night.
Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 31 points and earned the Larry Bird Trophy as Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points and 13 assists, including 11 points in the fourth quarter, to help close out the series 4-2 in front of a packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana broke the game open with a 9-0 run to start the third quarter and never looked back, eventually stretching the lead to 15 after a trio of consecutive 3-pointers.
Obi Toppin contributed 18 points and six rebounds off the bench against his former team, while Thomas Bryant and Andrew Nembhard each hit key shots in a pivotal second-half surge.
The Pacers forced 17 New York turnovers and held the Knicks to just 28.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
OG Anunoby paced New York with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 22 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.
Jalen Brunson was limited to 19 points as Indiana’s perimeter defense disrupted the Knicks’ rhythm throughout the night.
The victory was Indiana’s first chance to celebrate a Finals berth since 2000, with Reggie Miller on hand to present the Bob Cousy Trophy to Pacers owner Herb Simon.
Indiana will open the NBA Finals on the road against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
It’s only the second Finals appearance in Pacers franchise history, and their path included eliminating the No. 3 seed in the East.
New York, which has not played in the Finals since 1999, once again saw its postseason run end at the hands of Indiana.
The Pacers shot 54.1 percent from the field and 51.5 percent from three, outpacing New York in nearly every offensive category.
