Pacers toughen up at home, set up 'ultimate' opportunity in Game 7 at MSG

The Pacers bounced back to take Game 6 at the Fieldhouse, with a strong effort across the playing rotation.

The Pacers and Knicks will play Game 7 to settle the second-round playoff series in Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.

That glorious sentence was brought to you by a memorable Pacers effort in Game 6, when they flipped the script from Game 5 and out worked, out hustled and out rebounded the Knicks, to deliver a 116-103 win, pushing this playoff series into the epic category.

After Rick Carlisle spent a masterful two days demanding the best from his team, chastising their Game 5 effort privately in team film sessions and publicly when answering questions (any question) during media sessions. He implored his squad to play tougher and to go get the effin ball!

To man, the Pacers responded to the tough love from Carlisle while also getting a pro’s pro effort from Pascal Siakam in what was the most important game of the season. Siakam and Myles Turner were finally able to punish the Knicks for going small with Miles McBride instead of a big forward.

McBride was still a problem for the Pacers, knocking down threes and scoring 20 points. But is was a small price to pay for the front court production the Pacers delivered. Siakam finished with 25 points and 7 rebounds, while Turner added 17 points and 8 rebounds. Also, Isaiah Hartenstein, who made fools of the Pacers in Game 5, only had 4 points and 7 rebounds this time around.

The Pacers won the rebound battle 47 to 35. The other three starters had 6 rebounds each to go with the effort of Turner and Siakam. The effort and assertiveness fortified the winning effort. It was about spilling guts to do what had to be done and guts were spilled. My favorite rebound was on the offensive glass, when Aaron Nesmith swooped in to take and apparent rebound away from the visitors. It was a hustle and effort play and the Pacers were just better in those areas than the Knicks, which is incredible.

Tyrese Haliburton also had a personal bounce back game, finishing with 15 points and 9 assists. He took 12 shots which was a vast improvement, although still not enough from the maestro of the offense.

Off the bench, TJ McConnell and Obi Toppin were impactful as usual. TJ had 15 points and Toppin added 11, including three left handed dunks that all had the Fieldhouse Faithful on fire. Ben Sheppard and Isaiah Jackson also provided juice off the bench. Shep’s ability to move his feet and shade Brunson was impressive against such a tough cover. IJax had 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks in 12 minutes, adding to the front court production.

Photo: @Pacers

The Knicks seemed down and out, again as they did after Game 4 with Josh Hart hurting and Jalen Brunson exhausted and Donte DiVincenzo quiet. Brunson finished with 31 points but needed 26 shots to get there. Hart strained his abdominal muscle and continued to fight through the discomfort, but struggled to do anything down the stretch.

Hart is questionable for Game 7 but you can expect him to be in the lineup and ready to go. The Knicks will be throwing the kitchen sink at the Pacers. This includes giving OG Anunoby a chance to play. On Saturday afternoon, OG moved to questionable on the injury report with Woj reporting there is ‘optimism’ that OG will be able to give it a go in Game 7. Expect nothing less.

Rick Carlisle described Game 7 as ‘the ultimate game’ and yet another great opportunity for his young team to experience. Other than Siakam, this team has gone through several valuable playoff experiences for the first time. That includes struggling on the road and learning the hard way, how much effort they have to expend in the Garden.

No excuses now. Show up, spill your guts and play all 48 minutes. The result will be easy to handle if they take care of what they can control.

Game 6 Details

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When: Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: ABC

Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan

Odds: Pacers +3

Projected Starters

Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner

Knicks: Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein

Injuries

Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) - out

Knicks: Josh Hart (strained abdomen) - questionable, OG Anunoby (hammy) - questionable, Mitchell Robinson (ankle) - out, Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) - out, Julius Randle (shoulder) - out