Pacers win at home, extend series vs Knicks

MANILA, Philippines — The Indiana Pacers produced another big win on their home court Friday, routing the New York Knicks 116-103 to force a decisive Game 7 in their NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Pascal Siakam scored 25 points to lead Indiana’s scoring. Tyrese Haliburton added 15 with nine assists and Myles Turner had 17 points as six Pacers players scored in double figures.

On the brink of elimination after an embarrassing Game 5 defeat in New York, the Pacers played with desperate aggression, outscoring the Knicks 62-38 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle.

They hustled after loose balls, blocked eight shots and handed out 35 assists to keep their offense firing, and kept Knicks talisman Jalen Brunson in check for much of the night as they improved to 6-0 at home in this postseason.

They’ll have to follow-up on the road, however, if they want to book a clash with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, with the Knicks hosting Game 7 on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

“Now it’s a one game series, and it’s for all the marbles,” Haliburton said. “Where better to have a Game 7 than the Garden? No team’s won a game on the road in this series, so we’ve got to be ready to go from start to finish in 48 minutes.”

The Pacers broke open a close game with a 17-2 scoring run that pushed their lead to 13 points late in the second quarter.