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Timberwolves thrash Thunder to cut decifit

Anthony Edwards slam dunks the ball
Anthony Edwards grabbed nine rebounds and six assists [Getty Images]

The Minnesota Timberwolves thrashed the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to claim their first win of the NBA Western Conference play-off finals.

Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and Julius Randle 24 at Target Center in Minneapolis as the Timberwolves set a club record for points scored in a play-off game.

They trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, which continues at the same venue on Tuesday at 01:30 BST.

"I was super happy about the physicality and energy we brought," Edwards said.

"Being down 2-0, it's all about bringing energy, and we brought high energy."

Oklahoma's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was this week named the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and who scored a combined 69 points in the first two games, managed only 14.

"We got punched in the mouth," he said.

"We just didn't have it. They had the sense of urgency knowing if they go down 3-0 it's going to be pretty tough.

"It's about getting back up; it's about responding. That's what the next challenge is."

The Timberwolves have lost only one of their past 11 games at Target Center.

The winners of the Western Conference finals will play the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

The Pacers lead 2-0 before game three in Indianapolis at 01:00 BST on Monday.

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Edwards, Timberwolves strike back with 143-101 win to cut Thunder’s West finals lead to 2-1

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in just three quarters to lead the re-energized Minnesota Timberwolves in a 143-101 victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals that cut the Thunder’s lead in the series to 2-1.

Julius Randle added 24 points and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. had 15 points in 13 minutes to highlight a big boost from the bench for the Wolves, who caused all kinds of cracks in the Thunder’s NBA -best defense after struggling to solve it in the two lopsided losses on the road.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting with four turnovers, subbed out with a 38-point deficit and 4:25 to go in the third quarter as Thunder coach Mark Daigneault conceded on a night when his team was never closer than 22 points after early in the second quarter.

Game 4 is in Minneapolis on Monday night.

The travel north and venue shift triggered a sharp drop in shooting for the Thunder, who made exactly half of their attempts from the floor over the first two games and went just 12 for 40 in the first half on Saturday.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the newly minted NBA MVP, went more than 13 minutes of game time between baskets while the Target Center crowd loudly booed him on every touch and taunted him at the line with the chant, “Free throw merchant!” in a nod to the popular notion he draws an inordinate amount of fouls.

The Thunder fully expected a strong response from the Wolves after opening the series with two lopsided wins. This was a bone-jarring counterpunch from the opening tip that kept the crowd roaring all the way through the finish, without any of the half-quarter meltdowns that doomed them in Oklahoma City.

Randle, who had his first off night of this postseason in a Game 2 performance so disjointed he was benched for the fourth quarter, had his fire back — and his signature fadeaway.

Edwards rediscovered his 3-point shot, going 5 for 8 after shooting just 1 of 9 in Game 2. He gave the quick-handed, ball-pressuring Thunder a taste of what it’s like to play against themselves with a couple of relentless of loose balls he turned into breakaway dunks.

Outscored 69-37 in the third quarter over the first two games, the Wolves didn’t even leave the door open a crack for the Thunder to start a second-half comeback. Edwards, tightly guarded by Isaiah Joe in the corner, found enough space to drive along the baseline and spin an up-and-under reverse layup off the glass for a 79-52 lead.

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As LeBron James celebrates All-NBA at age 40, agent Rich Paul says he doesn't know star's plans

Extending the record he already owned, on Friday LeBron James was named to an All-NBA team for the 21st consecutive year. He appreciates the magnitude of that accomplishment.

It's almost irrational to think LeBron would walk away into retirement after a season where he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds a night, was named All-NBA and got to play with his son. However, after 22 seasons anything is possible.

"I don't know. I don't have an answer to that," LeBron said after the Lakers were eliminated. "Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and just kind of talk through it and see what happens. Just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So, we'll see."

Does his agent and friend Rich Paul have any insight? No, Paul said on the Rich Eisen Show.

"I have no idea, zero. Normally our process is, kind of weigh everything and see how he's feeling and all those type of things... Same process it's been for the last I don't know how many years... He'll come around to what he's thinking at some point and we'll kind of go over some things and go from there."

The expectation in league circles is LeBron will return for at least one more season (and almost certainly with the Lakers, there is no real traction with the idea he could bolt back to Cleveland or another destination). He not only played at a high level this season, but also he was energized playing with his son, Bronny, and then found another gear after the Luka Doncic trade. The Lakers are just a move or two away from contending and Lebron would love a fifth ring. Plus, with the All-Star Game in Los Angeles this year, this could be a celebration of his career. The Lakers will give him whatever he wants to stay.

Which he almost certainly will do, but nobody knows anything for certain yet, including his agent.

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Down 0-2, Knicks' problems start with their starters

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, two All-NBA players, are the headliners. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are all high-level, two-way NBA starters.

On paper, the New York Knicks roll out a contender-level starting five — and coach Tom Thibodeau leans hard into this group, playing them 21.5 minutes a night through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals.

That lineup is also getting outplayed. Badly. They are -29 through two games against the Pacers, a series where the Knicks as a team are -8. The starting five has a -42.9 net rating and an atrocious 155.1 defensive rating.

Because of this starting five, the Knicks are down 0-2 to the Pacers, having dropped both games in Madison Square Garden.

Indiana isn't doing anything different tactically than nearly every other team has done: Guard Towns with a wing because he isn't going to punish them in the post, and put a rim-protecting center on Josh Hart and leave him open to shoot 3-pointers. When opponents have the ball, they target Towns and Brunson in pick-and-rolls. It's a strategy teams have used against New York all season and there is no reason to change it up — it's working.

The Knicks have looked better with their starting five broken up and Mitchell Robinson on the court. Miles McBride is also having a strong series off the New York bench.

Is it time to break up the Knicks' starting five?

"We always look at everything," Thibodeau said as a non-answer to that question.

Thibodeau is stubborn and stuck with this group when it wasn't working well in the first two playoff series — they were just +3 in six games against Detroit and -24 in six games against Boston. The starting five's problems go back further than that, this lineup was an unimpressive -9 from Jan. 1 through the end of the season.

The starting five puts the Knicks in a hole to start every game — it was 19-9 in Game 2 Friday — and then New York spends a chunk of the game just trying to get back in it. That lineup is shooting just 29.6% from 3 against the Pacers, which isn't helping the comeback cause, but even when they close the gap, it's time and energy spent to have to do it.

The players get it. Here is a collection of their postgame quotes (via James Edwards at The Athletic and Dan DeVine at Yahoo Sports.

"Collectively, we gotta get it together," Brunson said. "That's really it.

"We're just putting ourselves in a deficit, and I told you how we can't keep doing that," Towns said after the Game 2 loss. "It's not every time we're gonna be able to fight back and find ourselves with a win, so, you know, just gotta execute and be more disciplined."

"I think it's a defensive thing," Bridges said. "Sometimes you're so in that you have to go back and watch the game, but we just have to talk to each other off the jump. We have to be physical off the jump. I think, maybe, we're playing a little too soft in the beginning of the halves."

When Mitchell Robinson was out the first half of the season recovering from ankle surgery, Thibodeau commonly said the team was playing without its starting center. It may be time to put words into action and start two bigs, Robinson and Towns. That duo is +27 for the playoffs (in 106 minutes) and +3 against the Pacers through two games.

Whatever the answer, New York has 48 hours to come up with one that works, because if they go down 0-3 to the Pacers, they can start booking tee times in Cancun.

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Draymond claps back at Knicks fan for Warriors Cancun diss

Draymond claps back at Knicks fan for Warriors Cancun diss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

There’s not much you can get past Draymond Green.

As Green joined TNT’s NBA playoff coverage following the Warriors’ second-round exit, the Golden State veteran had a unique interaction with a fan during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden.

“Cancun! Cancun! How was Cancun?” the Knicks fan shouted at Green.

The man continued to repeat himself before Green shared a slick response.

“Can you afford to go?” Green said before walking away.

The Warriors’ rollercoaster 2024-25 NBA season came to an end after falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference semifinals.

Meanwhile, New York, after defeating the Detroit Pistons in the first round and reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, is down 0-2 in their quest to the 2025 NBA Finals. The Knicks will have their hands full as the series now is headed to Indiana.

And for the sake of that fan, he better hope the Knicks can turn things around, or his team will be joining Green and the Warriors in Cancun.

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Draymond drops hilarious four-word response to Kerr's center remarks

Draymond drops hilarious four-word response to Kerr's center remarks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Draymond Green will do anything to help the Warriors win, but the Golden State veteran is tired.

After logging countless minutes as the Warriors center in their small-ball starting lineup during the 2024-25 NBA season, Green was grateful to hear his coach Steve Kerr say he’s uncomfortable doing the same next campaign.

“As far as what Steve said, God bless his heart,” Green said in response to Kerr’s comments on the latest “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis” episode. “It was real because playing the 5, it’s hard. And I’m always down to do it, as you know, like any challenge you throw my way, I’ll take on the challenge, but it’s hard battling every night guys who outweigh me by 60 to 80 pounds, and they’re four inches or five inches, seven inches taller than me. It does take a toll.”

Green, 35 and fresh off his 13th NBA season, was responding to Kerr saying in his end-of-season press conference that he doesn’t want the power forward starting at center in 2025-26.

“I don’t want to start next season with Draymond as our starting 5,” Kerr said Friday. “I think it’s doable for the last 30 games like we did this year, but you see the toll it takes on him. He’s talked about it too.” 

The Warriors will seek other options this offseason, and Green couldn’t be more grateful for Kerr’s part in the decision. Even though Green earned All-Defensive First Team honors in the role and was a finalist for NBA Defensive Player of the Year this season, he believes Golden State can upgrade at the position while providing him with a deserved reprieve.

“… I’m saying, I don’t think people understand the toll of and what anchoring the defense requires; that means every possession I have to put myself in a position to stop a fire, to help stop something,” Green continued. “It takes a lot. But I always say I’m cut out for whenever our organization needs to go to it, I’m right here. Let’s do it. I ain’t never going to complain about it.

“But I agree with Steve — if we can have a different starting center, and at some point if we need to go to [me starting], cool, but it’s a lot, and as I get older and older in this league, it becomes tougher and tougher. These guys get younger, more athletic, and like I said, I think I’m more than capable of hanging with the young guys and athleticism. But it does take its toll.”

Like Green, Dub Nation and NBA analysts alike have called for the Warriors to get bigger. Now that Golden State appears poised to do so, Green’s physical well-being should benefit — and that could mean the world for his game.

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Watch Steph incredibly hit 14 threes in 30 seconds in MrBeast video

Watch Steph incredibly hit 14 threes in 30 seconds in MrBeast video originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The NBA world has come to realize that disrespect only fuels and motivates Steph Curry.

One young high schooler learned that the hard way during a competition with the Warriors superstar in a MrBeast YouTube video.

Demarrion, who is the top shooter at his high school, issued a subtle dig at Curry just before the contest. Demarrion was asked who he likes more out of Curry and Los Angeles Lakers megastar LeBron James, to which he responded that his preference was James.

“Oh, you’re a LeBron guy,” Curry responded.

“You shouldn’t piss him off before you go against him,” MrBeast warned.

“I like it,” Curry said, with a cryptic smile on his face.

Curry then proceeded to knock down 14 3-pointers in 30 seconds.

Demarrion was given double the amount of time to make as many 3s as he could, and if he beat Curry’s 14, he would win $100,000.

But the Petty King was victorious, as Demarrion made just nine shots in one minute.

Tough luck, kid.

As the winner, Curry was rewarded with the $100K to give to the charity of his choice, which of course, he chose his Eat. Learn. Play Foundation.

And Demarrion deserves some credit for fueling Curry even more.

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Will Tom Thibodeau shake up Knicks' struggling starting five? Something needs to change as pivotal Game 3 awaits

For most of the past five months, the Knicks have played well in spite of their starting lineup.

The starting five's net rating from Jan. 1 to the end of the regular season was -1.4. But the Knicks went 28-21 in that span and finished the year with 51 wins.

In their first two playoff series, the Knicks' starting five was outscored by a combined 52 points. But the team executed when it mattered against the Pistons and came back from 20-point deficits twice against Boston en route to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks haven't been able to mask the starting five issue against the Pacers. Indiana has abused New York's starting five in the first two games of this series. The Pacers have outscored the lineup by a combined 29 points. The Knicks lost the first two games of the series by a combined eight points.

It's clear that something needs to change entering Game 3 in Indiana.

Is it as simple as subbing Miles McBride for Josh Hart or inserting Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup?

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is never going to tip his hand to the media. So his answers to questions about the Knicks starting five aren't exactly brimming with insight.

"We've just got to keep looking at it, just got to be better,” Thibodeau said late Friday night after New York's Game 2 loss.  

The starters trailed Indiana by 10 points just seven minutes into the first quarter. Robinson and McBride entered off the bench and helped erase the Pacers lead.

The starting five was a -6 to open the second half. So it was outscored by a combined 16 points to start the first quarter and second half.

What is the prevailing issue?

"I think we just have to talk to each other off the jump," said Mikal Bridges. "I think maybe we just play a little to soft in the beginning. I'm not sure."

FRIED IN FOURTH

The starting five's struggles weren't the only reason why the Knicks lost Game 2.

They started the fourth quarter with their double-big lineup, featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Robinson with Cam Payne at point guard. That group was outscored by nine points in the first three minutes of the quarter. A tie game turned into a nine-point Pacer lead by the time Jalen Brunson checked back in.

Thibodeau went away from Towns for a 6:30 stretch of the fourth, which tells you what he thought of his center's play against Indiana.

In all, the Knicks were outscored by 20 with Towns on the floor in Game 2. I don't like using single-game plus/minus as to assess a player because it can be misleading. But the team's struggles on defense were apparent during Towns' minutes.

After the loss, Hart was asked for his thoughts on what New York needed from Towns.

"We need him to be aggressive offensively. We need him to be locked in and communicate defensively," Hart said. "That's all we need from him. We need him to communicate at a high level. Offensively, be aggressive, get to his spots, get deep post position, and use his talent offensively. Defensively, be locked in, communicate at a high level and be an anchor for us."

MORE MITCH OR MCBRIDE?

Thibodeau played McBride and Robinson for the majority of the first half. New York outscored Indiana by 10-plus points when one of those players was on the floor.

McBride was less effective later in the game and Robinson seemed to tire late in the fourth quarter. But it's hard to ignore their total impact on the game. They made up for the starters' poor first quarter. It was telling to me that when Hart was asked about Robinson, he mentioned that Robinson should be playing more often.

"Man, he's huge. He's someone who does just everything. Offensive rebound, defensive rebound, he can guard on the perimeter, guard in the post. He's a big X factor for us," Hart said. "We have to figure out ways -- I think he played 30 minutes -- figure out ways if he can play more. We're great with him on. We all got to be willing to sacrifice for the betterment of the team."

The Knicks obviously face long odds to win the series. Only six of the 82 teams to trail a conference finals 0-2 came back to win. New York's comeback will have to start on Sunday in Indiana. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. If Thibodeau decides to go with the same starting five and it produces the same result, the second-guessing of the coach will only grow louder.

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Siakam stars as Pacers go 2-0 up against Knicks

Pascal Siakam celebrates with Tyrese Haliburton
Pascal Siakam joined the Pacers last year [Getty Images]

Pascal Siakam scored 39 points as the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 114-109 to go 2-0 up in the NBA Eastern Conference play-off finals.

The three-time All-Star scored the Pacers' first 11 points at Madison Square Garden as they claimed their sixth consecutive play-off win away from home.

Game three in the best-of-seven series takes place in Indianapolis at 01:00 BST on Monday.

"I just came out aggressive," said Siakam, who has averaged more than 20 points in six consecutive seasons and won the NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

"We're a team. It doesn't matter who scores. That's what I love so much about this team.

"I got it going early and the guys did a good job of finding me. Another night, it will be somebody else. That's what makes us special."

Myles Turner scored 16 points and Tyrese Haliburton added 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

The fourth-seeded Pacers led by 10 points with two minutes 25 seconds left, but two free throws from OG Anunoby, five points from Jalen Brunson and a Josh Hart lay-up with 14 seconds left brought the Knicks to within one point at 110-109.

But Aaron Nesmith and Turner scored two free throws apiece for the Pacers to secure victory.

Brunson finished with 36 points to set a Knicks post-season record of 19 30-point games, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges both scored 20 points and made seven rebounds.

Bridges said: "I know it is 2-0 but it is still a long series. We just have to find different ways to advance."

The Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Minnesota Timberwolves 2-0 in the Western Conference finals.

The winners of each conference finals will meet in the NBA Finals from 5-22 June.

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Pascal Siakam scores 39, Pacers take 2-0 lead over Knicks with 114-109 victory

NEW YORK (AP) — The Indiana Pacers are headed home, halfway to a chance to play for an elusive NBA title.

They might prefer to stay right where they are.

Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points, and the Pacers beat the New York Knicks 114-109 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 3 is Sunday night in Indiana, which will be rocking all day long with the Indianapolis 500 being run that afternoon. The Pacers can only hope to be as good there as they've been on the road, where they have won six straight games since falling at Milwaukee in Game 3 of the first round.

“We have a long way to go and it’s only going to get tougher for us,” Siakam said.

Myles Turner added 16 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Pacers, who lost to the Lakers in 2000 in their only NBA Finals appearance.

Siakam finished 15 for 23 from the field on a night nobody else on the high-scoring Pacers had more than five baskets.

“Special game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “In the first half he was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches.”

Jalen Brunson had 36 points and 11 assists for the Knicks, who need a quick turnaround or their first appearance in the conference finals in 25 years will be a brief one. They defended much better after their crushing collapse in a 138-135 overtime loss in Game 1, but couldn't find enough scoring to come back after a bad start to the fourth quarter.

Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Knicks, but Towns played just 28 minutes as coach Tom Thibodeau went longer with backup Mitchell Robinson, a much better defender who grabbed nine rebounds.

No team has lost the first two games at home and come back to win a series in the conference finals.

“Going into the fourth quarter it’s a tie ballgame. We've just got to make better plays, more winning plays,” Thibodeau said.

It was tied at 81 after three, before the Pacers opened the fourth with a 13-4 run to move ahead 94-85 on Siakam’s 3-pointer with 9:17 remaining. They would quickly push the margin back to around there every time the Knicks got any momentum, and it was 110-100 after another basket by Siakam with 2:45 to play.

The Knicks scored nine straight to make it 110-109 on Josh Hart’s basket with 14 seconds to go. Aaron Nesmith made two free throws for the Pacers, Brunson was well off on a 3-point attempt and Turner finished it out with two free throws.

The 50th playoff meeting between the rivals - the Pacers lead 28-22, all since 1993 - more closely resembled their defensive battles of the 1990s than the shootout of two nights earlier.

Indiana raced to a 19-9 lead, but the Knicks quickly caught them when Robinson and Deuce McBride entered and the game remained within a single-digit margin nearly the entire rest of the night.

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Knicks, Pacers acknowledge Game 3 stakes as Eastern Conference Finals momentum swings

With the Knicks facing a 0-2 series deficit after Friday's 114-109 Game 2 loss to the Pacers, what changes will be made before a pivotal Eastern Conference Finals swing for Game 3 in Indiana?

Neither side appears to be looking too far ahead as the best-of-seven set shifts from MSG to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

"Same thing -- just get ready for the next one," said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau after the Pacers, who mixed in 11 players, outscored New York's eight-man rotation 65-57 in the second half. "You've got to be ready for the next challenge. We've got to study the film, make our corrections and get ready to play again."

Indiana stole both of the first two away games in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers before dropping Game 3, 126-104.

Although Rick Carlisle's team won the series, 4-1, the Pacers are not taking the Knicks for granted.

"There are a lot of traps here," Carlisle said. "You cannot assume going home is going to be easier -- it never is. Each game, as you ascend in a playoff series, becomes harder.

"New York -- they have an amazing fighting spirit, so we're going to have to keep concentrating on our process, making it hard on them and trying to keep tempo in the game."

Where do the Knicks start?

After Pascal Siakam's game-high 39 points among the Pacers' six double-digit scorers, New York must get back to basics.

"Just taking it one game at a time," said Knicks wing Mikal Bridges, who scored 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting while adding seven rebounds in 45 minutes. "We know it's 2-0, but it's still a long series -- 1-1 first series, up 2-0 last series, now down 0-2.

"We've just got to find different ways to advance. We've just got to be better defensively as a team and offensively make the right play."

Karl-Anthony Towns echoed Bridges when he referenced how his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 Western Conference semifinals and lost three straight before ultimately winning the series in seven games.

"If I've learned anything, especially last year, as quick as you win two games is as quick as you could lose two games," said Towns, who scored 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 28 minutes. "So just bank on my experience and we've just go to execute at a higher level."

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Siakam’s 39 silences Garden as Pacers seize 2-0 lead over Knicks in East finals

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points in Friday night’s win.Photograph: Adam Hunger/AP

The Indiana Pacers are leaving New York with more than just a pair of road wins. They now have a stranglehold on the Eastern Conference finals.

Pascal Siakam erupted for a playoff career-high 39 points and helped close out a 114-109 victory over the Knicks on Friday night at Madison Square Garden, giving the Pacers a 2-0 lead as the best-of-seven-games series shifts to Indianapolis for Game 3. It was another ruthless closing performance by an Indiana team that has now taken back-to-back games from the Knicks on their home floor.

Siakam’s brilliance was complemented by 16 points from Myles Turner and a near triple-double from Tyrese Haliburton, who stuffed the box score with 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds. Indiana, now halfway to just their second trip to the NBA finals, depart New York in firm control.

Game 3 is Sunday in Indiana, though the Pacers might prefer to keep playing in Manhattan. They’ve now won six straight playoff road games dating back to a first-round loss in Milwaukee, the longest streak in team history.

“I just came out aggressive at the end of the day, we’re a team, you know, it doesn’t matter who scores, that’s what I love so much about this team,” said Siakam, the ninth-year power forward from Cameroon who’d scored 17 points in Game 1. “I got to go in early, the guys did a good job finding me, and again, another night is going to be somebody else, you know, that’s what makes us special.

A back-and-forth contest with 17 lead changes through the first three quarters was tied 81-81 heading into the fourth when the Pacers opened the final frame on a 13-4 run with Knicks star Jalen Brunson on the bench. They seized momentum for good after Siakam’s three-pointer with 9:17 remaining made it 94-85 and never trailed again.

By the time Haliburton found Siakam in acres of space for an easy layup that made it 110-100 with 2:45 left, the result seemed all but a handshake away. New York rattled off nine unanswered points during a furious rally and cut the deficit to 112-109 in the final seconds, but Brunson’s contested 29-footer to tie caromed off the back of the rim. Indiana’s Myles Turner secured the rebound and iced the game at the line, bringing the rollicking sellout crowd of 19,812 to heel.

It marked the second straight fourth-quarter fade by the Knicks, who also blew a 14-point lead with under three minutes left in Game 1. While Friday’s loss wasn’t quite as historic, it was every bit as devastating. “We had a chance to tie the ballgame,” New York coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It was a hard-fought game. Both games came down to the last play.”

Brunson led the Knicks with 36 points and 11 assists, a heroic effort that wasn’t quite enough. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 10 rebounds while Josh Hart chipped in 15 points and 11 boards. But the Knicks shot just 11-of-32 from deep and once again struggled with turnovers and defensive communication at key moments, allwoing the Pacers far too many wide-open looks.

Haliburton followed up his Game 1 heroics with a more subdued but effective night. Turner added 16 points, including 13 on 4-of-6 shooting in the fourth, and held his own defensively against Towns.

For Indiana, it was another showcase of their poise and versatility. Their bench outscored New York’s 24-11, and they outshot the Knicks 52% to 45% from the field.

No team has lost the first two games on their home floor in a conference finals and come back to win the series. Indiana are bidding for a second NBA finals appearance in their 58-year history and first since 2000, when they bowed to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

As for the Knicks, the questions are piling up. They’ve now dropped consecutive games at home for the first time all playoffs. Their late-game execution, so often a strength under Thibodeau, has deserted them. And their margin for error is all but spent as they now face the daunting task of flipping their first conference finals appearance in 25 years on the road against one of the NBA’s hottest teams.

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Knicks can't keep up with Pascal Siakam, Pacers' depth in Game 2 loss

The Knicks are in a 0-2 hole after losing Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 114-109, to the Indiana Pacers.

Takeaways

  1. The Knicks had no answer for Pascal Siakam, whose game-high 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting in 33 minutes kept the Pacers humming despite off nights by Game 1 stars Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith.
  2. Jalen Brunson did what he could with his team-high 36 points on 13-of-26 shooting and 11 assists in 39 minutes, but co-star Karl-Anthony Towns' inconsistent 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting (and -19 rating) through 28 minutes left New York lacking. Either the Knicks' supporting cast needs to step up Tom Thibodeau must take a look at making changes.
  3. Along those lines, should Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride play more? Robinson's defense and rebounding (nine boards, including four offensive) in 29 minutes off the bench gave the Knicks much-needed sparks, while McBride's two-way potential flashed through his 25 minutes.
  4. Do the Knicks have enough depth to keep up with the Pacers for Games 3, 4 and beyond? Despite Haliburton and Nesmith coming back down to earth for Game 2, the Pacers picked up the slack with TJ McConnell's 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and three assists in 14 minutes off the bench. Indiana played 11 players and flexed its depth as it forced Thibodeau to reconsider the Knicks' rotation and potential lineup adjustments.

Who's the MVP?

Siakam

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks head to the Pacers' home court for Game 3, which tips off Sunday at 8 p.m. from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

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Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic, Antetokounmpo headline All-NBA teams

The top four players in MVP voting were not only, unsurprisingly, the top four vote getters for All-NBA, but they were each unanimously selected.

The NBA announced the last of its postseason awards on Friday, the All-NBA teams. Here is the list.

All-NBA Teams

First Team

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
2. Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
4. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
5. Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)

Second Team

1. LeBron James (Lakers)
2. Jalen Brunson(Knicks)
3. Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
4. Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
5. Stephen Curry (Warriors)

Third Team

1. Jalen Williams (Thunder)
2. Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
3. Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
4. Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
5. James Harden (Clippers)

Here is a look at the voting, followed by some news and notes on the selections.

• Leading the list of snubs is the Rockets' Alperen Sengun, the best player on the No. 2 seed in the West, and he racked up 58 points in All-NBA voting, just 10 behind Harden, who got the final spot. Not one Rocket made the cut.

• Jaren Jackson Jr. wasn't just snubbed, his wallet took a hit — he will miss out on supermax money by not making an All-NBA Team (he made the ballot of 53 voters, and had 55 points, but that landed him 17th in the voting, just a couple spots away from making the cut). Jackson can and is expected to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Grizzlies this summer for four years, $146.9 million, and the team could go higher with cap space

• It's the opposite for Cade Cunningham, who will make an extra $45 million over five years on his contract extension that kicks in next year by making this team. (The same would apply to Evan Mobley, but he already qualified for the supermax by being named Defensive Player of the Year.)

• Jalen Williams is extension eligible this summer and sets himself up for a supermax contract, but he has to make an All-NBA team again next season.

• Antetokounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokić and Tatum were voted First Team on all 100 ballots cast (by a panel of selected media from around the globe).

• LeBron was named to an All-NBA team for the 21st consecutive year, and yes, that's a record (it was before this season, he just extended it).

• Just a reminder that this vote is positionless, voters were asked to rank the top-15 qualifying players for this season regardless of position. That shows up mostly on the Third Team, which has four guards and a center.

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Lakers star LeBron James chosen to All-NBA second team

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) handles the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lakers forward LeBron James sets up the offense while defended by Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards during Game 4 of a first-round playoff series. The two were chosen to the All-NBA second team. (Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

Twenty-two seasons ago, LeBron James entered the NBA with almost unbelievable expectations, the fate of a franchise in Cleveland and a league hungry for a new star on his back.

Twenty-two years later, the Lakers' star exceeded even the most outlandish predictions, winning championships in three different cities, scoring more points than anyone in league history and authoring the kind of sustained greatness that’s unmatched across sport.

And if you needed proof, more was offered Friday.

A panel of media voters selected James to the league’s All-NBA second team — the 21st year he’s been voted all-league on one of the three teams. His 21 All-NBA appearances is six more than Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Kobe Bryant andf Tim Duncan, who are tied with the second at 15.

Despite turning 40 in late December, James played 70 games and averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three. His 78.2% shooting from the free-throw line was a career best.

Clippers guard James Harden made All-NBA third team, his eighth All-NBA selection and first since 2020.

League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell made first team All-NBA.

Read more:LeBron James' future: What's next for the Lakers star?

Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards and Evan Mobley joined James on the second team while Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Williams were with Harden on the third team.

James, who suffered a sprained medial collageral ligament in the Lakers’ final game of the first round, has a $52-million player option for next season. If he declines the option, he’d be an unrestricted free agent.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.