The Indiana Pacers wanted more from Pascal Siakam on Friday night, and that is exactly what they got.
Siakam got started early and was a huge help all night, scoring a career-high 39 points and helping his team take a massive 2-0 series lead over the New York Knicks.
Following the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about Siakam, what he brought to the game, and how impressive his “quiet” 39 points were.
“He was the guy that got us going and got us through some difficult stretches,” Carlisle said. “It’s hard to score that number of points in a game like this where you always have a physical matchup defensively and there’s a guy crashing and flying at the basket. But he did a phenomenal job. It’s a quiet 39 points. It really was.”
Siakam’s consistency was a huge weapon for the Pacers, as he was sinking shot after shot, sometimes while being closely guarded by New York’s defense.
This isn’t his first time in the hunt for a championship, as he won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Siakam wants to do it again with this team, and that looks more and more likely as they soldier through the postseason.
This isn’t the first time he’s racked up so many points for Indiana in the playoffs.
In fact, it was his third career 35-point game in the playoffs with the Pacers.
So, now fans are wondering, when will he play like this again?
Indiana is a deep team with multiple stars capable of pulling up and posting shots from all over the court.
How can the Knicks stay in this series if they are facing such a versatile group with such talent?
