Final Score: Indiana 106, New York 99

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Unlike the New York Knicks, Lance Stephenson didn't want to go back home. The Indiana Pacers withstood Carmelo Anthony and a 3-point barrage by the Knicks in the second half to advance to their first Eastern Conference final in nine years. The Brooklyn- native Stephenson netted a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and Paul George added 23 points in the Pacers' 106-99 win over the Knicks in Game 6 of this Eastern Conference semifinal. Stephenson, who was 9-of-13 from the field, poured in nine of those points during a game-changing 11-2 run in the fourth quarter. Roy Hibbert tallied 21 points, 12 boards and five blocks for Indiana, which is off to its first conference finals since losing to the Detroit Pistons in 2004. The NBA's top rebounding team during the regular season held a 43-36 edge on the boards and outrebounded the Knicks by a 274-218 margin in the series. Indiana, which moved to 6-0 at home during the postseason, held a commanding 52-20 points in the paint advantage. The Miami Heat, who downed the Chicago Bulls in the other Eastern Conference semifinal and the Pacers in the semifinals last season, will host Game 1 of the East finals on Wednesday. Anthony scored 35 points through the first three quarters and finished with 39, but again struggled in the final frame. He missed his first five shots from the floor and committed three crucial turnovers in the quarter. J.R. Smith had a frustrating time offensively for the duration of the set. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year had 15 points and 10 rebounds, but was just 4-of-15 shooting and 26-of-90 from the floor during the series. Iman Shumpert recorded 19 points in defeat. New York, which lived and died by the 3-pointer during the regular season and set an NBA record with 10.9 makes per game, used the arc to get back into the contest late in the third.

05/18 23:54:42 ET