Pascal Siakam
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Pascal Siakam had another huge game at MSG on Tuesday.
Pascal Siakam has made himself at home at Madison Square Garden throughout his career, but he still finds it special to ball out against the New York Knicks.
Siakam was one of a few Indiana Pacers players who lauded the atmosphere at MSG, and Rick Carlisle credited the Knicks after Indiana stole a 137-134 win in overtime at the Garden on Tuesday.
Of course, the Knicks and Pacers have met in the past two postseasons, with Indiana advancing in each series. But the Pacers are down and out after Tyrese Haliburton’s torn Achilles in the NBA Finals last June, sitting 14-40 and 4-22 on the road after the rare away victory.
The Knicks’ loss was just their seventh in 28 home games this year.
Pacers: MSG is ‘Always a Special Place’
The Knicks may not have expected the Pacers’ punch Tuesday, but the game featured an NBA season-high 39 lead changes — may of which came in the fourth quarter where the teams traded baskets.
Still, for the Pacers, who have been out of the playoff chase since starting the year 6-31, the atmosphere was enough for players who played in the 2025 postseason series like Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and T.J. McConnell to harken memories of playoffs past.
“Something about MSG always gives a playoff atmosphere,” Nembhard said. “We’ve played them a lot in the playoffs, and there’s a certain competitiveness that naturally comes out.”
Siakam himself is becoming a thorn in the Knicks’ sides. Aside from winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP in 2025, while Indiana eliminated the Knicks in six games, Siakam had a 52-point game at MSG as a member of the Toronto Raptors in 2022 — still a career high for single-game points — and posted 30 points, six rebounds and four assists Tuesday.
“It’s always a special place,” Siakam said. “Everyone that comes in here, they try to play their best game. This is where it’s at. The eyes are there, there’s a lot of people watching, and I think obviously [with] the previous battles that we’ve had with this team, it always feels good to come out here and get a win.”
Rick Carlisle Called Tuesday ‘an Important Game’ for the Pacers Because it was Against the Knicks
The Pacers have shown a penchant for rising to the occasion against high-quality opposition, despite their injury-plagued season. They now have road wins in New York and Oklahoma City this season and have knocked off both the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors in Indianapolis this season.
So after the win Tuesday, Carlisle called the game “really important” because it was against the Knicks.
“This was a really important game for us,” Carlisle said. “With the season that we’ve had, this environment, the opponent — our guys just had a great collective spirit and collective will tonight.”
The atmosphere seemed to bring out the best in guys like Nembhard, Nesmith and guard Quenton Jackson, who had 19 points and seven in overtime. Though this was his first taste of playing in the Knicks-Pacers rivalry, Jackson felt it was special.
“The rivalry is big, but I never really got to play against them in this type of atmosphere,” Jackson said. “I think it was fun. I enjoyed it. It was a great game. I love the energy of MSG.”